Foreign Land
by YeOldDoorHinge
Summary: What would you do if the chance to be whatever you wanted to be presented itself? If, all of a sudden, you found yourself reborn? Maintaining your past memories, you now have a world of unlimited possibilities laid out before you. Me? I took advantage of the opportunity. The world is my oyster, and I'll open it any way I so desire. / New take on an OC's mindset.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Light. Bright, blinding light. It's all I could see.

Crying. Piercing, ear shattering crying. It's all I could hear.

What the hell is going on? Where the _hell_ am I? My mind reeled, trying to think back to where I remembered being last.

It was an alley, in Austin. I'm a college student, and a couple of my buddies decided it'd be fun to make the trip, seeing as it was just a couple hours away. They'd heard "stories" about 6th Street, as they so eloquently put it. I humored them, having nothing better to do with my weekend.

I mean sure, I could be working on that paper due Tuesday, but that was a Monday me problem. He could handle it.

So that's how I found myself in that alley, looking for my friend who stumbled from a bar barely sober enough to stand. He "had to take a piss in the alley," he said. Thought "it would make a good story."

So, when I went looking for him, I expected to find a man, well, pissing. Not to find myself looking down the barrel of a gun.

I mean honestly, where the hell were we? Houston? Come on, it's Austin. I'm supposed to see parties on every corner, and hipsters shooting around on Hover Boards or whatever they're called, all while knowing all too well I had one back home.

But no, I'm looking at a gun. A loaded gun. A loaded gun that is pointed right at my face. And behind the gun? Some asshole with a _loathsome_ grin on his face. I was waiting for the cliche "give me your money" routine, so I could throw my debit card at the prick telling him I didn't have any cash, and then proceed to cancel it.

But, no, life decided it had better, and I use the term as loosely as it can allow, things planned for me. Plans that involved me getting shot. By the gun that was pointed at my face. Meaning, I got shot in the face.

There's no walking away from that one.

So, my question. Where the _hell_ am I? Surely not hell, right? That would be a massive let down. The first thing I noticed was the ever present blinding light. Maybe I'm in heaven?

But, then, what's with the crying? And why are my lungs starting to burn?

Do dead people even need to worry about their lungs?

Oh, god, I need to breath. I took the biggest breath I could manage, feeling uncomfortably out of place in my body.

Speaking of my body, what the hell was wrong with it? More than just my lungs, my throat was also burning. And my ears, the pain from the _insufferable_ crying not letting up. I couldn't move, or it didn't matter that I did, I should say. The most I could manage was flailing my limbs around.

I was also cold. Oh, so cold. I felt wet, and I don't think I have any clothes on. I tried to speak, to see if anyone would respond to me. And that's when I noticed it.

 _I_ was the one crying. My throat was burning because of the air constantly being forced from it. I need to stop, I _had_ to stop. It was driving me insane.

Once I was able to force myself to calm down, I noticed that my eyes were finally starting to adjust to the light. And that's when I saw something that terrified me more than I'd care to admit to anyone.

Right there, standing above me, was a woman. A nurse, by the looks of it. And she was _massive._

Are angels giants?

Trying to make sense of what was happening, I was greeted by the giant's voice. It was pleasant, and comforting. Much more enjoyable than that crying from earlier. _My crying,_ I remembered.

"Poor little guy. To be all alone like this." She had what looked to be the beginnings of a tear in her eye, as she proceeded to wrap me in a blanket.

Oh sweet warmth.

She continued speaking, "and that poor woman, to be attacked by a Grimm like that and make it all the way to the hospital, just to figure out that wouldn't make it."

She turned to the giant next to her, that I previously hadn't noticed, a man that appeared to be a doctor.

The man spoke, "yes, I agree that it's quite sad, but at the same time I greatly respect the woman. Instead of worrying about her own life, the first thing she asked about was her baby. After we told her he was fine, she smiled. One of the most genuine smiles I've ever seen."

The man looked down at me, placing a hand along the side of my head.

 _'_ _How warm.'_ I instinctively closed my eyes.

He then spoke to me directly, looking me in my now open eyes. "So, little guy. We're going to need you to be brave, alright? You are surviving a remarkable woman."

At this, I blinked. Something clicked in my head at those words.

 _I'm_ the baby they were talking about. As I cast my eyes downward, I see the doctor unwrapping part of the blanket to wipe me down. And I see the blood.

Blood I now believe to be of the woman that's supposed to be my mother.

I feel a strange calm wash over me, as the man finishes cleaning my off. Wrapping the blanket back around me, he turns and leaves with the nurse.

I'm a baby. My 'mother' is dead. What did they say it was? A Grimm? That's an unfamiliar term, something a plan to remedy soon. I attempt to speak, just to see if I can, but it looks like this body doesn't have the vocal cords for it yet.

I think back on my life, or my old one anyways. My life wasn't the best, sure, but I enjoyed it. I had a loving mother that raised me by herself, and a little brother that loved to cause trouble. Two things that I'll never have again.

It hurts, thinking back on them, but I figure this might be the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'd guess I just became something a bit special.

Not only have I just learned that reincarnation is, in fact, real, but I also kept my memories. Something that, as far as I'm aware, definitely isn't normal. After all, I didn't have memories of a life before my previous one. And if everyone else did, they sure didn't act like it.

So, that's how I found myself reborn, with what is looking to be a real advantage in life. Thinking about it, I now had the opportunity to reinvent myself in any way I could imagine.

With the mind of an adult, or a young adult anyways, in the body of a kid, I can set myself up on any path I so desire.

I want to be one of those prodigies that go to Harvard at the age of eleven? I could do that. Or, so I thought, until I turn my head and see a window, curtain open to let the moonlight into the room. That light coming from a moon very unlike the one I'm familiar with. I mean, for one, it's shattered.

So, my question from before. Where the _hell_ am I?

* * *

The orphanage really wasn't that bad. The lady in charge was nice and all, but I just had little to do. I had already read all the books the place had, a fact I kept to myself because it might seem a little odd that a two year old read what numbered to be fifty something books, but that was about it. I didn't exactly care for the idea of... playing with the other brats, wanting to keep myself from those filthy little _monsters,_ but I had to interact to some degree.

Didn't want them thinking me to be some sort of problem child.

But, I guess all the free time did leave me room to ponder. Think about what to do once I was old enough to start sharing my opinion.

One thing I noticed almost immediately from the books was that I was on another world.

Like, not just a different planet, but a different world. There was this thing called Aura here. I didn't know too much about it, the orphanage's library being rather limited, but I knew it's something a normal human being wouldn't have.

Also, another dead giveaway were the Faunus. Heavily discriminated against, because of their animistic traits, they lived along side us. Regrettable, really, that I was born in a time where this was such a problem. I could only wonder how they'd be getting along 200 years from now...

Shaking my head, I had more pressing matters to attend to. For one, what was I going to do? Long term, I mean. In those books I read about a profession entitled Hunter.

These Hunters would, well, hunt the Creatures of Grimm. I normally wasn't one for danger, but technically the things did kill my mother. They're the reason I'm stuck in this godawful place.

No, that's not reason enough. I didn't know my mother, and honestly this place really isn't that bad. But, I kept going back to what it'd be like to be a hunter...

and think about just how bad ass I could be.

Thinking about it, I could technically start training right now. That would put me massively ahead of the people that would fit into my age group, should I choose to attend one of those "Hunter Academies."

Definitely sounded better than regular schools.

Realistically, I could be the top dog here. Milk this whole "still have my previous memories" thing for all it's worth. Why settle for a peaceful life, hoping to be adopted by some "nice" family that's just trying to make themselves feel better by taking in someone "less fortunate" than themselves?

Which didn't sound bad, honestly, if I was taken in by a rich family I'd have more resources available to me. But, at the same time, chicks dig a sob story. What better than a lonely orphan...

Shaking that line of thought, because honestly that's still years down the line, I move onto thinking about what I can do right now. From what the limited library said, there are two ways to unlock an Aura.

Firstly, the most common, someone would simply unlock it for you. Easy, simple, done. Thing is, they need it be unlocked themselves. And, you know, probably wouldn't do it for just anyone that asked, especially some two year old that shouldn't even know what an Aura is.

So, that leaves the second option. If, between now and whenever I attempt to join a combat school, I manage to unlock my aura naturally, I'll be a step above the rest. Generally speaking, students will have their Aura unlocked on the first day of class, unless they have Hunter parents/siblings.

Also, to unlock an Aura naturally would allow me to gain a quicker understanding of my Aura, and develop my control earlier on.

As to how I go about doing that? No idea. For now, I guess I just bide my time. Either until I get adopted, or I start attending school. At either point, I'd have more knowledge available to me...

* * *

My first day of school. Oh, how I've awaited this day. The orphanage sends us all off at once, leading us to the nearest bus stop.

Yes, the orphanage. I've decided to stick around. And that's not to say I _can't_ be adopted, but rather I make sure no one wants me. Usually a simple, downtrodden, "my mommy was eaten by a Grimm," will scare off any potential parents. They act heartbroken, and try to comfort me, but in the end they always choose someone else. Much easier to just pick a happy-go-lucky three year old.

So, yes, I've decided to make sure I never get adopted, which will get easier as I get older. I've really come to care for our caretaker, Maria being her name, an old woman who dedicates all her time to making sure everyone lives a happy life.

I try to help her the best I can. The first thing I'm going to do when I become a big, fancy, super rich and famous hunter is go back to that orphanage, and renovate the entire place, as well as officially endorse it by providing all the funds necessary to keep it running, and then some.

She always seems upset of the fact that she can't give us more.

Anyways, back to school. I'm sitting on the bus, eagerly awaiting our arrival. One of the older kids had told me about how we were allowed to check out books from the library whenever we wanted, so long as we returned them within the week.

It was finally time to start making progress on this whole Aura thing.

And with that, we arrived. After our homeroom teacher giving us a brief tour of the building, we stopped by the library.

"Alright class, you can pick out any book you like, but keep in mind you have fifteen minutes."

Smiling, I look around at my fellow students. We were sorted into the "advanced" class, which really just meant that all of us could read.

Making my over to where the books on Aura would be, I did a quick search. I wasn't looking for anything general, I wanted specifics. How can I unlock my Aura? I needed a book that told me that.

After scanning the titles, I came across something that looked rather promising.

"Aura: A Manifestation of the Soul, the Beginners Guide on Basic Control." I read aloud.

Long title, very technical, looked to be composed entirely of facts with no fluff. I smiled.

Just what I was looking for.

Making my way over the the teacher, I look up at her with my vibrant green eyes, putting on the goofiest grin I can manage. "Miss Stone! I found the book I want!"

She looks down at the book, a smile on her face. A smile that quickly faded into a frown. "You know, this book will probably be boring. Wouldn't you want something more exciting?" She asked, trying to help out.

I kept my stupid smile on my face, trying to pass as a naive kid. "I want to be a Hunter when I grow up!"

At this, she smiles. Of course, the kid saw a book about Aura and grabbed it, likely not checking to see what it actually contained.

He would likely return it tomorrow, in favor of something a bit less like an... encyclopedia.

"Well, make sure when you're big and strong you come back and let me know, alright?" This time, I smile a bit more genuinely. What a likable teacher.

Little did she know, however, that I actually returned the book two days late.

* * *

Two years. It's been two years since I started going to school, and making use of the library every opportunity I had. I was now six years old, and I stood in the back yard, covered in dirt. My left eye was swollen shut, and my hair was an absolute mess.

See, I learned something throughout these two years. Unlocking Aura? That's hard. Like, really damn difficult.

After two years of constant effort, I've made zero progress. So, feeling a bit annoyed, I did something a bit reckless. I had, at one time, read about how in times of great need, it wasn't uncommon for someone's Aura to unlock, as a sort of defense mechanism.

So, I decided to try it out. How? By picking a fight, when our caretaker wasn't around, with the three biggest kids in the orphanage. All of them were five years older than me.

So, that's how I found myself getting beat senseless in the backyard. And was it working? No, it just really hurt.

After taking a rather nasty right hook to the ear, I wanted to call it quits. I was tired, weak, and could barely stand. The other kids, however, had no intention of stopping. It wasn't until I was on the ground, sporting a recently broken right arm, that Maria would no doubt worry incessantly over, that I began to feel a warm tingling sensation begin in my stomach.

Did I know what it was? Not for sure, but I had a pretty good idea. And I began to smile.

The sensation spread, blooming from my stomach, and covering my whole body. When I opened my eyes, I was giving off a faint green light from every inch of my body. The other kids had stopped, starring at me with wide eyes, when I sat up.

Oh boy did I want to test this out. And, would you look at that. Three volunteers.

After giving each of the boys a solid punch to the gut, which sent them back a couple feet, I smiled. I told them I wouldn't tell Maria about what they did to my arm, so long as they never told her about the glow. They quickly agreed, which may have been due to, in part, my still glowing form.

As I walked away, I started to form a plan. Discreetly train, as to not worry Maria, and slowly prep myself for Combat School. By this point, I was thinking Signal. It was close, and one of the best there was.

After that? Why, I wouldn't settle for anything less than Beacon.

* * *

I stood, with a smile on my face, as I inspected myself in the mirror. I had _abs._ Like, real abs. It's been a long time coming, but we've finally made it.

Sure, I guess I had abs in my previous life. They weren't especially impressive or anything, but they were there. It was enough for me.

But, here? I wanted to look as impressive as possible. I was striving towards perfection, and wanted to become what I always envisioned as the 'perfect' me. Plus, I was ten. A pretty good head start.

It had been four years since I unlocked my aura, and I managed to keep it a secret. I was still three years away from applying to Signal, and I wanted to cross that bridge with Maria when I got to it.

I hadn't made much progress in the way of discovering my semblance, but as for basic Aura control I was getting pretty good. I practiced channeling it to my limbs to give myself bursts of strength, and have basically just run myself dry more times than I could count.

I had read about how, much like any muscle, your Aura will get stronger the more you use it. And, while some people naturally had larger Aura reserves, it was possible to increase the size of your own by draining it completely. Each time it refilled, it would have just a bit more.

Already having four years of practice under my belt, I felt ahead of the curve.

Of course, I also trained myself physically. I planned on being the fast, dodging around type, so I wanted to build my body up in that way. I never cared too much for those guys that built themselves up excessively. Always thought it to be impractical.

Further examining myself in the mirror, I inspected my face. Aside from my body, I was pretty much identical to my previous self. Shaggy, slightly curly brown hair that got more unruly the longer it was. I still had my annoyingly fair skin, that never seemed to allow me to tan. I had piercing, bright green eyes with a faint yellow ring around my pupils.

My mom would always tell me how lucky I was that I got her eyes. My brother, on the other hand...

 _'I miss them.'_

Shaking off the sad thoughts, I got dressed. Ready to start the day, I waved goodbye to Maria, and started leading some of the younger kids to the bus stop.

Just three more years, and my hard work will pay off.

* * *

Twelve years old. That's how old I was when I came home from school, to find the orphanage burning.

I could hardly find a single part of the building that wasn't covered in flame. I watched, as firefighters fought the flames back, and kept the ever growing crowd at bay.

To the side, I saw Maria and all the children of the orphanage crying. Listening to the conversations around me, I learned what happened.

A group of... of racist _bastards_ didn't like the fact that Maria also took in Faunus, giving them a home. Sure, no one was injured, and according to Maria that's "all that matters," but I was pissed.

My home, of twelve years, burned down because of conflicting ideologies. I turned away, and walked down the street, picking a seemingly random direction.

I wanted payback.

Did I know who did it? No. But, every once in a while, I encountered some jack ass harassing a Faunus. And they may as well have.

If that line of thinking didn't exist, I'd still have a home. Maria would still have a home. Those thirty something kids would still have a home.

About an hour later, I found myself in a police station, staring down the officer who had just put me in a holding cell. See, I went on a bit of a... rampage, of sorts. Every time I came across someone giving a Faunus a hard time, I broke his legs. Simple, and quick.

I'd break them, and then I'd leave. Searching out the next oh-so-deserving victim. Eventually, the police caught on. Hard not to when some twelve year old is going around hurting people.

Realizing it'd be better to, well, not fight the police, I silently went with them.

I remained in the cell for hours, refusing each and every time the officer would offer me food. He'd slide in the trey, and I would dump it on the floor and break it in half.

He got the message after the third time.

After what seemed like an eternity, a man came into the room and stopped in front of me. I looked up, and saw his gray hair, as well as his cane at his side.

"Hello," he offered, smiling in what seemed like a genuine way. After meeting only silence, he continued.

"I watched the footage. Of your little outing, I mean." I smiled, enjoying the way he phrased it. Outing, huh? Was that all it was?

"I noticed, each time you would attack someone, there would be a flash of green light. Aura, if I'm not mistaken. So, tell me, how is it that a twelve year old orphan came to unlock his Aura, seemingly on his own?"

At this, I decided to be honest. Well, vaguely honest, anyways. "I practiced," I gave, looking into his green eyes. "I want to be a Hunter."

The man smiled, looking down on me fondly. "Well, I can tell you that I'm certainly impressed. I happen to know a few people at Signal, and could probably pull a few strings... how would you like to begin your training, young man?"

I frowned, looking down at my hands. This is what I wanted. To become a Hunter, to go to Signal, then Beacon, and become a name known throughout the world. But...

"I refuse." I stated, plainly. I was only a year away, and I wanted to help Maria now more than ever. I'd get there, in due time. For now, I had a family to get back to. I didn't know what was going to happen to everyone now, but I wanted to do everything I could to make sure they would be alright.

Meeting the gray haired man's eyes, I was met with an even wider smile than before. He gave a quick farewell, told me the officer would release me shortly, and left the room. Meeting his ever present assistant outside, he only have a brief statement, "a truly remarkable individual. Keep on eye on him for me, Glynda." Before he left.

* * *

Thirteen years old. I was thirteen years old, sitting in my shared bedroom along with 3 other children, who were strangers to me. I had been moved to a new orphanage, as did every other kid that lived in the old one, but I made sure to request to be moved to whichever one Maria would be put in charge of.

She appreciated it, and from that point on I made her life as easy as I could by helping out with chores and such, before I finally broke the news to her about wanting to become a Hunter, and about my having already applied to Signal.

At this, she simply smiled. "I knew this day would come. After all, you were pretty loud with your practice in the backyard, dear." After a brief hug, she looked me in the eyes. "Do be safe."

Smiling at the memory, I looked down at the acceptance letter in my hands. Sitting there, at the top of the page, was my name.

"Congratulations on your acceptance to Signal, Silva Orien." I read aloud, pleased with myself.

The name given to me by the mother I didn't have the pleasure of remembering. I carried it with pride.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Hello, everyone! How did you like it? If you can't already tell, I got my inspiration for this story from Reiteration, hands down my favorite fic on the site. In that story, a man is reborn into the world of Remnant, and he retains all of his past memories. Seeing his situation, I couldn't help but wonder how I, myself, would react in such a situation. Ergo, this story! It's technically a self-insert, sort of, but I'm definitely embellishing a little. As Silva said in the story, he's attempting to make the perfect "him." If I had a chance to relive my life, I would make it as awesome as possible.

Anyways, until next time!

~YeOldDoorHinge


	2. Chapter 2: Signal

"Well, aren't you handsome?"

I stood at the doorway to the orphanage, suitcase in hand. I was wearing my new uniform, the standard male clothing for Signal students. However, I decided to add what essentially amounted to a green soccer scarf, a sport it turns out doesn't exist here, that hung down to my waist.

There was no real meaning behind it, I basically just decided I needed "a thing." It was a preemptive strike, of a sort. When I was a famous hunter, all of my admiring fans would want their own scarfs. I could sell them with my symbol stitched on.

Well, assuming I finally decide on what I want it to be. I can't find much history regarding my mother's family, so I don't know if there's some kind of crest. I'll probably just try to fashion something that resembles Orion's Belt from my old world, seeing how close it is to Orien, even being pronounced the same way. I won't connect the stars, as the shape really isn't all that impressive, but I think just putting the pattern against a black circle would look nice. Simple, but mysterious.

Luckily, I know what it looks like because of an Astronomy class I had taken. If I had forgotten, I'd never be able to rediscover that information.

Looking back at Maria, who had a sad smile on her face, I reassured her the best I could. "Don't worry Maria, Signal really isn't all that far away. I'll come back to visit often."

"It's not that, dear. In fact, I've been looking forward to this day for a while now. For you to go out on your own, and make a name for yourself. But, I just can't help but worry. You've decided on a rather dangerous profession, after all."

"You won't have to worry about that. I _am_ pretty strong, you know." I lift my suitcase over my head, balancing it on a single finger.

"I know, but it doesn't matter how strong you get. I'll always worry about you."

I smile, and we share a brief hug. Following a quick farewell, I start walking. I could take a bus that would drop me off nearby the harbor, so I could catch the ferry to Patch, but I wanted time to think. Time to collect myself. This is one of the biggest steps I'll take in my life, and I need to think of one hell of a first impression.

I turned around a corner, about half way to my new home, when I noticed a banner hanging over a store.

'Closing Sale! We're leaving, and need to get rid of everything!'

Curious, I move to examine the store, looking through the display window...

"Interesting." I let out, looking at the inventory. Smiling, I make my way inside. I just came up with an amazing idea.

* * *

I was late. Like, really late. The first day of the rest of my life, and I was thirty minutes behind schedule. Just because I got caught up in my stupid plan.

"Not stupid." I murmured. I think it was totally worth it. First of all, I found some basic sewing materials in the store. I decided that my Orion's Belt idea was fine, and spent a good ten minutes making a patch to sew onto my scarf. It was one of the many skills I picked up helping Maria with her day-to-day activities.

I went with a rather simple design, a black circle with a star located in each of the spots the sky would have shown, had I been on Earth. It was kind of like I was carrying a piece of home with me.

After that, I noticed the fireworks. Oh, so many fireworks. Not only was it out of season, because Vale also had something similar to the United States' Fourth of July, but the already marked down price was fifty percent off. So I bought everything.

Everything.

Several bags loaded up with fireworks, scarf flapping out behind me, I was sprinting down the street. Yeah, I didn't look suspicious or anything.

Arriving outside Signal, being able to appreciate just how large the campus was now that I was here in person, I sprinted towards the front entrance. After meeting with a lady at the front desk, I was informed that everyone was sitting through orientation, being given a basic understanding of what to expect this year. All freshman were required to attend. And, boy, did I plan on attending.

After she informed me where to go, I took off once again. Green Aura blazing into being, I pumped as much as I could into my legs. My plan could still work, if I got there before it was over.

As I approached the auditorium, where it was being held, I began to work. I was setting up a perimeter with the fireworks, all while connecting them with a long, makeshift fuse. Basically, it was a super long flammable string that wrapped around each individual fuse. After surrounding the building, string in hand, I entered.

Trying my best to discreetly trail the 'fuse' behind me, I took a seat near the entrance, next to some blond.

The speech, given by who I assumed to be the headmaster of Signal, looked to be wrapping up. Smiling, I put my hands behind my back, and lit it with a flip lighter I also bought at the store.

Dropping the string to the floor, I turned my head to see it burning, slowly making way towards the fireworks waiting outside. Just a minute now, and we'd be in for a show.

Trying to get the timing right as best I could, I slowly stood up. The blond next to me eyed me suspiciously, clearly curious as to why I was standing up when the speech wasn't over.

Just a few more seconds...

I cupped my hands around my mouth, and yelled out as loud as I could, "Enough with the speech! Let's get this year started already!"

The second the words left my mouth, I turned around and kicked open the doors. Stepping outside, I watched as the already lit fireworks started, one by one, to explode in the sky.

I could hear the surprised voices coming from inside, a few students making their way towards the door, just to be called back by faculty members. That didn't stop them from approaching the windows though, and seeing the show I had laid out before them.

Hundreds of fireworks, laid out in a circle around the building, lighting up the early morning sky. Quite the sight to behold.

The headmaster came charging outside, followed by what looked to be a teacher thankful to get out of the building. I couldn't blame the guy, for all of the two minutes I was in there I wanted I fall asleep.

"Young man, what is the meaning behind all of this?!" The headmaster let out furiously, face growing worryingly red. Was he okay?

I smile, a dumb toothy grin, and then held my arms out.

"Don't you think this is much more appropriate a greeting for all these incoming huntsman-to-be? Speeches can only do so much to motivate, I think you need to cancel out all that boring with something exciting."

My smile lessens just the tiniest bit, as I look the man straight in the eye. "We need to enjoy life to the fullest right now, because in the future we may not have the chance."

Awesome. How cool did I sound just then? Anyone fall in love with me yet?

The other man, putting a hand on the headmaster's shoulder, just lets out a laugh. "Oh, come now, Sieg. He is right, kind of. It might be a bit much, but it's important for the students to understand that life is fleeting, and they need to enjoy it."

I inspect the man. Young, tall, unruly black hair, and red eyes. Interesting.

The head master, on the other hand, stood about a head shorter than him. Green hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail, and dull brown eyes. He was aged, but you could say he's done it quite well. I'd suspect he was nearing fifty, but looked to be in his early forties.

We were joined by a third man, this time a blond with soft lavender eyes, and he replicated the red eyed man's actions by putting his hand on the headmaster's, now named Sieg, other shoulder.

"Listen to Qrow, old man. It's not often we get such interesting students. I mean, the speech _was_ getting a bit out of hand."

"I'm not that much older than you, Taiyang." Mumbled Sieg, as he batted away the hands still on his shoulder. "While I'll admit, I may have gotten a bit carried away with the speech, spending what might have been a little too much time on my experiences as a student here all those years ago, that is still no excuse to cause such... such a ruckus! He needs to be punished."

My smile never leaves my face, knowing all too well I'd be facing some sort of punishment. I could see the interviews now, about how "back in the day" I was a trouble maker during my days at Signal, and how when, and I mean when, I attended Beacon it changed me for the better.

Life is a lot easier when you are aware of the fact that you are currently living your future history. Short term, this could be quite bad for me. Long term, it could be made into quite the endearing story.

"Alright, your name. Out with it." Came in the headmaster, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Silva Orien." I make sure to speak loudly and clearly, making sure the students gathered inside the building can hear me. I can see their faces through the windows, listening to every word that is said between us.

Yeah, they'll remember me.

"So, tell me, why did you do this? And don't just tell me it was because of my speech, you obviously had to prepare beforehand."

Gauging my reasoning, trying to come up with a suitable punishment, it seemed. I could either make this guy hate me, or slightly dislike me. There wasn't all that good a chance I'd walk away with him appreciating my little stunt.

"You know what they say, you can only make a first impression once."

This was also about a lot more than simply crafting my backstory. Here I was, speaking with the headmaster and what looked to be his left and right hand men. The three most important individuals in the school, and they already knew my name.

More than know it, they'd remember it. I would always be that jack ass that set off well over a hundred fireworks. A memory that would last a life time.

"So, what was the plan? Set all of this off and hope we'd laugh?" He still looked angry, but also confused. There was no way this could be my true intention, right? There must be more to it than that.

No, there really wasn't.

"Nah, I knew I'd make at least a few of you mad. A punishment of some kind is understandable. But, you know my name now, right? A lot more than can be said about all those people in there." I gesture to the building.

The blond, Taiyang I remember the headmaster calling him, laughs. Heartily, and loudly. "I like him! I'll tell you what, Sieg. How about I punish him? Every day, after classes are over, he has to help me with whatever I need of him. For, say, a month? You can think of it as a more useful detention."

The headmaster seems to consider this, before adding, "Alright, but keep in mind that if he does anything else this reckless I won't have any choice but to be more severe."

"Noted," I let out dryly, glancing towards the man who seems to have made me into his personal assistant. Was this a good thing? What would he have me do?

The blond man turns to me, and flashes an unreadable smile. His companion, the man with red eyes, let's out a sigh and makes his way over to me.

"I'm sorry, kid." His hand falls to my head, ruffling my already unkempt hair. "I feel for you."

So, it's decided then. A very, very bad thing.

"Alright kid, grab your stuff. If I'm going to have you running errands for me, you're not going to be staying in the normal dorms. You'll have to stay in my office. Don't worry, I have a bed in there for the occasional late night. We'll probably be able to turn the closet into a sort of make-shift bedroom."

Closet? I was not liking the sound of this, and I was raised in an orphanage.

"But, sir, won't that be impractical? To have me live there, just to move into the regular dormitories once the month is over?" I'll admit, my voice sounded a bit pleading. Something told me that being around this man more than I had to be would be bad for my health.

"Huh? Oh, a month, right. I said that. Sure, yeah, that'll happen. Mmmhmm. Totally."

Well, shit.

* * *

So, when he said closet, I was picturing something... well, forgoing any other adjective, I'd say small.

I'm pretty sure it was as big as my shared bedroom back home. His 'office' was really just a small building on the outskirts of campus, right next to the forest. He had, supposedly, claimed it for himself. Part of the requirement for him teaching here.

The 'closet' was just a spare room that he stored stuff in. 'Stuff,' referring to a single box in the middle of the room. A box that held a single book. That book, being the teacher's version of the textbook for the class he "got roped into teaching" alongside combat.

"Books are for nerds," was his response when I asked him about it.

Why was this man a teacher, again?

After having 'cleared' the room out, which essentially amounted to him simply throwing the textbook away, a chance I took to snag it as I now had all the answers for a future class, I moved my stuff in.

The bed, that was located in the middle of another room of it's own, seriously this man was very irresponsible regarding space, was moved in. It was a bit empty, to be honest. A bed, and a suitcase with a couple changes of clothes. That's it.

I didn't even have a cool 'combat outfit' yet, having spent all my money on the scarf. That's all I saved for, the rest of the earnings from my part time job going to the orphanage. I had to submit it as 'anonymous donations,' because Maria refused to accept my money.

"Well, you certainly don't have a lot, do you?" The man asked, slumping down onto the bed that was supposed to be mine. "Ah, don't mind the stains on the pillow. I drool a lot, hehe."

Well, that settles it. Not just the pillow, I'm going to have to find a new mattress.

"Isn't it about time for class, sir? I believe we are supposed to meet briefly, ten minutes each course, to discuss what we'll be covering."

"Forget class. I have something I need you to do for me. Oh, and call me Taiyang. Or, better yet, just Tai. Really, you make me feel old with all that 'sir' stuff."

"But, si... Tai, don't you have two classes to meet with? I'm sure it'd be pretty odd for the teacher to not show up." I questioned, a bit taken aback by the man's laid back personality.

"Oh, I'm still going. I told _you_ to forget about class, at least for today. I have something I need you to do for me, and don't worry about your classes. I'll take care of everything for you." He sits up, a smile on his face.

"O... kay?" I let out, a bit worried about what this "something" would be.

"I need you to follow my daughter around." His face becomes serious.

"...what?"

...what? Yeah, even my brain was shocked.

"See, my daughter, Yang, is also a student here. First year, like you. But, I'm kind of worried she's involved with the wrong crowds, see? So, I need you to follow her. See what she does, who she talks to, and report back to me at the end of the day."

...Okay, this guy is insane. First off, her name is Yang. Yeah, I can picture exactly what kind of guy Taiyang is, naming his daughter Yang. A bit of a dim bulb, this one.

Second, he wants me to stalk his daughter. Sure, good intentions and all that jazz, but he doesn't even know me. I could very well just walk over to her, and tell her what he was having me do.

"Are you serious? You want me to stalk your daughter? I've heard of over protective parents, but this is a bit crazy, don't you think?" I needed to get out of this.

"You don't understand. I don't know what I'll do if she become rebellious! Right now she acts all sweetl, but recently she's just started calling me Dad! Not Daddy! Do you see the problem here? Once the dy part falls away, all that's left is an empty word, a title! It's breaking my heart!"

Yeah, seriously crazy. He had literally started crying on his knees. I'd do just about anything to make this entire display stop. Even this crazy stalker thing.

"Alright! I'll do it! Just stop crying! Seriously! This is super creepy!"

Not even half a second has passed, and he's sporting a dumber grin than I'd ever be able to manage, tears all but gone. "Thank you! Here is her schedule, and a photo! Good luck!" He pushes me out of the building, and then begins to head in the direction of his class.

...I think I just got played.

Maybe he's a bit brighter than I thought.

* * *

So, she's definitely his daughter. Looks exactly like him. Same hair, same eyes, everything. If she were a dude, I'm pretty sure they'd be twins, minus the whole age gap thing.

I just hope her personality is different.

Jumping from bush to bush, I slowly followed her, just like I've been doing for the past two hours. Classes only met briefly, but they still occurred at the regularly scheduled time. Because of that, there were massive gaps in between.

She seemed normal enough so far. She hung out with a group of girls, all of which seemed to regard her highly. She liked to flirt with the occasional boy, seeming to prefer the more muscular types. She was even a bit cute.

Shame she was his daughter. Not like it particularly matters. She may be cute for her age, but I'm still roughly twenty years older, mentally. Some of the teachers, on the other hand...

I can already tell dust studies is going to be rough for me. Way too distracting.

And so it continued, me following her as 'discreetly' as possible, and by discreetly I mean trying to be rather obvious about it. If she caught me, then I'd be perfectly in the clear to explain the entire situation.

It was only after I, as loudly as I could manage, yelled from a tree, telling her to "stop walking so fast" that I got fed up. She knew. There's no way she didn't.

And she was ignoring me. Like, the "ignore him and he'll go away" type of thing. And that pissed me off.

Did she really just think I was a stalker that could be avoided? Would I never have a chance to explain myself? I refused to approach her myself, if Taiyang found out that I ratted him out there's no telling what that mess of a man would have me do.

"Well, if you want to play it like that, fine." I mumbled darkly, narrowing my eyes at her back.

From this point forward, I would take this as seriously as possible. Who cares if I was made out to be a creep, if she saw me as a typical stalker she could ignore, I'd make it impossible for her to.

I saw her talking to a boy, our age, and they looked pretty friendly. If Taiyang taught here, and he was her dad, that likely meant that she was a local. Entirely possible for her to already know several people here, that might also be locals.

Entirely possible that she might already have a boyfriend. And that it might be him.

After they said their goodbyes, I approached the boy from behind and put him into a choke hold, using my Aura to make sure the 'muscular' red head couldn't escape.

"Alright, you'll tell me how you know her. Right now. If you don't, this gets ugly." At thirteen years old, there is no way he wouldn't be intimidated. The mere prospect of being harmed sent him into a panic.

"What are you talking about?! Who are you!?"

"The blond. Yang. How do you know her? Answer me!" I tightened my hold on him, slowly depriving him of oxygen. Poor guy was so inexperienced he didn't even try to fight back.

"We were classmates! At prep school, before we came to Signal! We hadn't seen each other since we graduated, so I went over to say hello!"

So they haven't seen each other since graduation. Not likely a boyfriend, then.

I let go of his neck, kicked him in the back with enough strength to send him flying from the bush I pulled him into, and stalked back after her. After repeating the process a few different times, to a few different boys, I sighed.

No boyfriend. Nothing substantial to give to Taiyang. I know it'd be fine to just tell him everything I know, and he'd be okay with it, but I wanted something... substantial. Something she didn't want him to know.

A little payback, really.

Ah, well. I knew that, sooner or later, this whole interrogation thing would get back to her, one of the guys would ask if she knew who I was so they could "get some payback" and "protect her from the crazy stalker." That would likely piss her off, maybe even scare her a little bit. "Will he come after me?" She will wonder, checking over her shoulder subconsciously to see if I was still following her.

It would have to do.

* * *

The sun was getting ready to set, and all classes were over. After confirming she met back up with her dad, and seeing him wave me off discreetly, I knew they would be going home together. I'd just give him my 'report' in the morning.

Making my way over to the building Taiyang called his "office" I entered my new room. On my bed, I found a note.

 _"I've got to say, you're quite the interesting one! I followed you around all day, as you followed my daughter, and had quite the laugh! I used to really worry about my daughter like that and send people to follow her, but after blackmailing Qrow into doing it, he also did the whole 'intentionally found out' thing. You two are like two pees in a pod, if you ask me! Anyways, he told Yang everything and, I have to tell you, she really let me have it. I couldn't hear for a week! Anyways, I thought it'd be fun to see what kind of person you were, and told her you would be following her. I still don't think she knows about you interrogating her friends, though. I don't expect that to go over well. Anyways, have fun! ~Taiyang"_

"What. The. Hell."

He totally skipped his classes.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** So, everyone, that's a chapter! I'll probably have a new one up real soon, on kind of a roll right now, but I wanted to upload this first. We don't know too much about Taiyang's and Qrow's personalities, so I took a bit a liberty. Made up a headmaster for Signal too, as I don't believe there was ever one introduced.

Also, I'm assuming Yang went to Signal. I guess it was never directly stated that she did, or something, but we can guess seeing as Ruby went, and both Qrow and Taiyang teach there. I'm not sure exactly how long this little "Signal" arc will last, and when we'll get to Beacon, but I have a few key events I want to happen first. Plus, I want the story to progress as naturally as possible, so aside from those key events I'm coming up with things as I write. A strike of inspiration? Open the doc.

Anyways, like the story so far? Anything you think could be worked on? Let me know! I'm new to this whole 'writing a story' thing, and having other people read it, so any criticism would be appreciated. It doesn't even have to be constructive. If something is annoying, let me know. I'll look into it.

Next chapter we'll be really getting into things, exploring Taiyang's odd relationship with Silva, and taking a look at how he stacks up in Combat class. Also, every student at Signal is required to create their own weapon, right? Looks like we'll be starting on that.

Until next time! Have a good day, and look forward to Spring Break (I know I am). Well, unless you've already had yours.

~YeOldDoorHinge (seriously, I love my name. Chuckle every time I type it).


	3. Chapter 3: Combat Class

My first class of the day was combat, taught by Taiyang. It was early in the morning, which makes sense. Nothing better than a fight in the morning to wake you up.

As you might expect, he didn't exactly come across as the most serious teacher. As he walked into class, he pointed to two 'random' students. I use the term loosely though, as one just so happened to be his daughter.

"Alright, you two make your way down to the ring, we'll begin class with a little spar." Yang walked down to the front, a smirk on her face, and her opponent simply looked smug. He was tall for his age, standing about a head and a half taller than her. Muscular, carrying a broadsword, and suited head to toe in a full set of medieval looking armor.

Looked like he was going for the knight look. Turns out, those were also a thing in this world.

We were all required to wear our combat attire, if we had anything, and were allowed to choose from a rack full of weapons as we hadn't made ours yet. As for those of us who didn't have anything to wear either, we were provided basic outfits. A black, full body suit that had basic leather padding lining the outside.

As I was sitting there, adjusting the leather, I couldn't help but wonder about when it was last washed.

Looking down at Yang, sporting what simply looked to be 'fashionable' clothes, I noticed her weapon of choice was what looked to be brass knuckles to the extreme.

So, a boxer then.

They both took a stance, opposite each other, and waited for Taiyang to call it.

"The first sparring match of the year! How exciting! Are both combatants ready?"

"Yeah." They both let out simultaneously, each one obviously thinking they were superior to the other. My first thought was that the knight would win, looking to be the more prepared of the two.

I mean, really, Yang looks entirely too confident. What is she thinking not wearing protective gear of any kind? There's no way she'll win...

At least, that's what I was thinking until the match started, and after a quick step to move inside his guard, her fist rocketed straight in between the knight's visor, knocking him onto his back. It didn't take too big a chunk from his Aura, but she then proceeded to mount the floored teen and started wailing on his face. Not even a minute passed, and she was declared the victor.

Well, as incompetent as he may seem, Taiyang _is_ a hunter. Surely she would have received training from him up until this point.

The supposed knight, on the other hand, hadn't made a single move. The armor was restricting, and once she moved inside his guard the sword become useless. Embarrassing.

"Well, let this be a lesson to you all! The little knight over here is perfectly outfitted for a longer, drawn out battle with a bit of distance between him and the enemy. However, should someone get inside his guard, there's nothing he can do. It's important to know your strengths, but to also know your weaknesses and how to counteract them."

So, slightly more competent than I originally thought.

Alright, next, we'll take the soldier to be and... Silva. Our little trouble maker." As he said this, I stood up, as did a mature looking teen outfitted in something very reminiscent of special forces soldiers from back on Earth.

Making our way towards the ring, I inspected his weapon of choice. A halberd, with what looks to be a counter weight positioned near the bottom of the shaft, ending in a pointed tip. So, dangerous at both ends, then.

I gripped my knives tightly, blades curved ever so slight back towards my hands. They were made of a simple, unadorned metal that I didn't know the name of. Each blade was a foot long, honestly they'd probably be referred to as short swords if not for the way they were shaped.

As I had previously decided, I built myself in a way that suited speed. Quick, rapid movements to slowly take down my enemy. In every game I've ever played, agility was always the best build as you just dodged everything.

A rather odd reason to live my life a certain way, but I believed the reasoning held up. If no one could ever hit me, I'd never lose.

We stood across from each other, staring each other down. I still wore my scarf, and I could swear a breeze came out of nowhere to allow it to flap out behind me. I looked like a total ninja right now.

"Alright you two. Ready?"

Forgoing verbal confirmation, we both simply nodded. I needed to focus, I had no idea how skilled he was and I wanted to win. I had to win. This was the beginning of my career, essentially, and impressing the crowd was important.

I planned to stand at the top of this school eventually.

Now, the problem here is that I lack experience. This may be the case for several others as well, but I know a good portion of the crowd will have training from a hunter family member.

As far as basic training, and Aura control goes, I'm golden. Fighting, however, is a different story. I'd pick the occasional fight with random thugs, forgoing the use of my Aura, to try and remedy this. However, what is a thug when compared to someone who has been trained by a hunter their entire life?

So, I was nervous. Was this one of the many students that had the luxury of being raised by a hunter? Or, was he someone like me, someone who got here by their own raw talent? Or, and I sincerely hope not, a mixture?

Signal was a very selective school, being one of the best entry level combat schools on the continent. To get in without training, one had to be exceptionally skilled in other areas.

So, that means he fit into one of four archetypes.

He could have a solid foundation. A large Aura pool, and impressive control. Normally just one or the other wouldn't be enough, however there are always exceptions.

He could be someone of remarkable intellect. A mind made for strategy, very valuable to the effort against the Grimm. Someone needs to be calling the shots.

He could be trained in combat previously, as anything self taught wouldn't compare to what is required. Though, occasionally someone will simply accumulate combat experience through a life of hardship.

Or, he could be one of the few that are a combination of the prior three.

Real bastards those ones.

I possess a good foundation, as well as the mental fortitude of a grown man. I was able to think differently than my peers, and that could give me an edge when I would otherwise be in trouble.

Two of the three, then.

If this guy is anything other than a 'perfect score,' as I like to think of those that possess all of the previously mentioned talents, I should at the very least have a fighting chance.

The match had begun, and we simply stood. Staring. Gauging each other.

What's the saying? 'He who moves first strikes last?' Absolutely untrue. You need to understand your opponent in order to win. As crude as the prior match was, it was expertly handled.

Yang was able to understand right away that her opponent was ill-equipped to handle anything moving inside his guard.

So, I watched. Observed. Noted every move the teen standing across from me made.

He stepped right, I stepped left. He moved forward, I stepped backwards.

I was matching his moves, trying to understand him. Would he get frustrated with the constant circling? If I could lure him into a wild swing of that halberd, I could dash inside his guard and unleash a flurry of attacks.

If we kept this up too long, he may notice a weak spot that I, myself, am unaware of and exploit it.

Rather than the halberd, I was looking into his eyes. That stuff about them being the 'window to the soul?' Not completely untrue.

You could read a person, see what they were about to do if you paid enough attention. His eyes move to my blades? He's simply observing, waiting for an attack. In this case, you take the time to slowly close in on him. My feet? Waiting for a move. At this time, it's possible to let loose an unexpected attack. My eyes, like he's currently doing? Well, basically it just means that he's pretty smart. Hard to give anything away if there's nothing _to_ give away. He is whole heartily waiting, just like me.

And I didn't expect him to make a move any time soon.

Intelligence, at the very least. I can only hope that he doesn't also have an impressive foundation. If I'm forced into a prolonged fight, I may not win this one. Eventually, when I accumulate the required experience, I plan to dodge everything thrown at me and slowly whittle down my enemy.

But, that's the future. And this is now. What can I do _now_ is the pressing question.

First, it's time to stop simply matching his movements. We've been slow, and deliberate. We've already been at this for a full sixty seconds, and our audience is getting quite restless.

"Fight already!" Yang, of course.

Yeah!" Come someone who sounded just a little too similar to Taiyang for my liking. Seriously, why was he a teacher?

They were right, though. I was getting uncomfortable with how little I was able to read from this guy. It's entirely possible he's in the same predicament that I'm in, but it's also possible that he has extensive training. He might be able to strike in any direction from this supposed formless stance that he's currently taken.

Lure me in, and then strike from a position that I never thought possible.

Deciding that I'd never find anything out at this rate, I decided to act. To make the first true move of the match.

I charged, suddenly and explosively, with a large amount of Aura suddenly pumped into my legs. This seemed to surprise him a bit, as I never broke eye contact. His slightly widened eyes gave it away.

He didn't let it affect him too much though, and quickly took a defensive stance.

Good. Not formless, then. If I can see his stance, I can search for weaknesses.

He parried my first blow, aimed at his left side. Simultaneously, however, I struck out with my other blade in a direct line towards his chest. At this, he simply back stepped, and swung the opposite end of his halberd at me.

I ducked under the blow, and continued the assault. I didn't mind taking a hit or two, should that happen, I had plenty of Aura to spare. What I needed to do was find some kind of weakness. A hole in his defense.

I swung wildly, in a seemingly random fashion, carefully observing how he defended against each attack. I tried to prevent a pattern from forming in my attacks, so he didn't know what to expect next.

If each attack took him by surprise, I'd eventually discover what I was looking for.

Ceaselessly, I swung. Aura enhanced blow, right after another. He reacted nearly perfectly every time. I could tell, he was trained to an extent. The halberd seemed a bit unnatural in his hands, but I could tell that he regularly used staff-like weapons. So, it's probably the weight that's throwing him off...

The weight. If he was using something lighter, like a bo staff, I'd bet he would be fine. However, I noticed that there was only one 'set' of each weapon. My knives were considered a single set, and so was the bo staff. It was supposed to force us to experience different kinds of weapons to figure out what we were best suited towards.

I noticed another student taking the bo staff earlier, as I was also considering it. Light, and ranged. It may not suit my intended style perfectly, but I think it would be fun testing out.

So, that means that my opponent settled for something similar. He's using it like a bo staff, but the fact is that it's a halberd. A bladed weapon, that just so happens to have a long shaft. It's meant for powerful swinging attacks, or quick stabs to keep an enemy at bay.

He's not utilizing it properly, so if I'm able to exploit that...

I have my plan. A smile makes its way onto my face.

Time to finish this.

I jump back, and throw one of my knives at his face. He seems surprised that I'd willingly separate myself from my weapon, and twirls the halberd in front of him to block the attack. Running back at him, I throw the other before he has a chance to recover.

Once again, he's forced to twirl the damn thing.

Perfect.

I was but a foot from him at this point, and I reached out.

If he were using the bo staff, he would have undoubtedly been able to maneuver in the way required to block my move. However, the unfamiliar weight made his reaction sluggish, and a half second slower than it would have been otherwise.

More than enough time to connect.

My hands grabbed the halberd, and I started to channel all the Aura I had available into my arms.

He was a better fighter than me. He had training, and battle intelligence. He had a fairly developed foundation, and had he been using his weapon of choice he most likely would have won.

But, sometimes life just isn't fair. He is using a foreign weapon, and by attempting to fight in the same exact way put himself at a disadvantage. Which led me to believe that it's the only way he knows how to fight.

So, should I be able to over power him in this instant, and disarm him...

The battle was as good as mine.

Hence, the Aura being focused into my arms. He seemed to catch on rather quickly, however, and did the same.

Thus, began the fight of sheer strength. My least proud point, I silently admitted. Definitely not good.

I managed to keep my arms locked in place, and he wasn't able to wrench the blasted thing from my grip, but it seemed he had another idea. See, there were four ways for a fight to be decided.

One, the instructor calls it. The match is obviously leaning one way, and he decides to save time.

Two, one of the competitors forfeits.

Three, one of the competitor's Aura gauge falls into the red.

Four, one of the competitors is knocked out of the dueling arena. Typically, this would be done by a display of overwhelming force. Say, someone punching someone else clear across the room.

But, this guy didn't seem to think that was necessary. All of our Aura was currently focused in our arms, so the rest of our body was left completely natural.

As fate would have it, his legs were stronger than mine. So, he started pushing. I started sliding. Slowly, but surely, I was approaching the edge of the arena. If I just backed off now, I'd be left without a weapon. My knives were scattered on opposite sides of the ring. Not like they'd help. I could barely use the damn things.

I could try to maneuver in a way that would have him leave the ring himself, seeing as he was pushing with the full force of his legs.

I had limited options, and I was running out of time. The edge was inching closer every second...

Until it wasn't. I stopped moving. I don't know how, or why, but he stopped pushing me. Or, to be more accurate, stopped being able to. I could see his feet, still moving in an attempt to slide me backwards, but now his feet were grinding plainly against the ground. I wouldn't budge.

He was getting frustrated, I could tell. His face was red, he was redoubling his effort to push me out, and something rather important became quite obvious. His Aura was running out.

The screen that displayed our levels was currently behind him, and I noticed that, while I had currently lost a quarter of my Aura, his was at half and steadily decreasing. The constant pumping into his arms was doing a real number on him.

Looks like all those years spent increasing my pool wasn't a waste after all. Essentially, assuming we had a similar efficiency, I had twice as much Aura as him. Neither of us had taken a hit, only using Aura to strengthen our bodies.

Slowly, his arms started weakening, and I was gaining the upper hand. Rather than him pushing me, I was pushing him. I still didn't know what was happening, but once my foot touched the ground nothing could move it but me. It's like I had some sort of anchor weighing me down that only I could counteract.

In an act of desperation, he let go of the halberd. The action surprised me, and I nearly fell forward. He moved to tackle me, but I now held the weapon. And every ounce of Aura I could spare was already in my arms.

Putting all my strength into this one blow, I made contact with the side of his head, using the back of the blade as I was unaware of whether or not his Aura would hold out.

With a resounding crack, his head rocketed towards the ground, before impacting. Managing only to mutter a groan, he slumped, defeated. Glancing at the gauge, I could see it. His Aura was in the red.

"And that's the match! As you can see, the kind of weapon you use is very important. Our little soldier here was obviously experienced with staves in general, but the weight of the halberd was too much for him to use as he normally would. Silva, on the other hand, was completely unused to using the knives he selected. Attacking in a random fashion, he attempted to exploit his opponents weakness, before realizing that he could only manage it by getting rid of his weapon himself. I expect, with a bit of training, he could become proficient in their use, but I urge him not to. We have an entire semester before we begin crafting your weapons, experiment and find what is best suited for you!"

Turning away from the audience, Taiyang approached me and my nameless opponent. As he helped up the struggling teen, he turned to me. "Silva, after class I'd like to meet with you briefly. There's something I'd like to discuss."

Nodding my head, confused as to what he wanted, I made my way back to the stands. A rather crude victory, but a victory nonetheless. Before the end of the semester, I'd make sure I could beat him blindfolded.

* * *

"Silva, over here!" I followed Taiyang's voice, arriving in front of the weapon rack. He seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

"Alright, I've got a surprise for you. As this weapon hasn't seen much use over recent years, as the youth nowadays seems to prefer modern weaponry, I've gotten permission from the headmaster to lend this to you. I think at first you might find it a bit... well, you'll probably not like it very much. But, you're going to have to trust me on this, you should really practice with it. If, after a month, you still don't like it I would understand you getting rid of it."

Well, I certainly didn't like the sound of that. A weapon that, not only would I have a poor first impression of, but I would also be forced to use it for a month. I could try to get out of it, but I have a feeling he'll use the whole "I control you after class" thing to force me to practice with it anyways.

"Okay, what is it?" I was curious. As much as I thought this would end up screwing me over in some way... the man was, after all, an experienced huntsman. If he thought I'd be suited for a certain weapon, the least I could do was try it out.

"Take a look!" He moved his hands from behind his back, and revealed... a bow. Like, a wooden bow, with a string and everything. He also had a quiver, with what looked to be roughly fifty arrows. "So, what do you think?"

...what? He wants me to use a bow and arrow? In a time where practically every weapon has some sort of gun attachment? That seems...

Well, for lack of a better word... awesome. Can you imagine? Me? Using a bow and arrow? I'd be like the Remnant version of Robin Hood. With a dust infused bow, and the draw strength of an Aura aided arm, I could send arrows rocketing through the air.

Treetop to treetop, one Grimm at a time, I could silently kill as many as I possessed an arrow for, the entire time remaining outside of the Grimm's five senses. They'd never know what hit them.

And, just think of when I become famous! In modern times, there's actually a hunter that uses an old fashion bow and arrow. I could go on and on about how I've always had an appreciation of "the classics," and could inspire a generation of future huntsman to start using bows themselves!

Noticing my lack of reaction, as everything up until this point has been entirely internal, he tried to press on. "I know, I know! You're thinking it's lame, and old, and useless! But! I assure you, this would fit you really we..."

"I'll take it." I cut him off, quickly reaching for the weapon. As far as I could tell, the bow was made completely of ordinary wood. When it came time to make our weapons, I'd have to find something impressive to make it out of.

My sudden acceptance seemed to shock Taiyang, for a brief moment, before he quickly recovered. "Great! Alright, you still have a few classes to get to, so I'll go ahead and take this back to your room. Once all your classes are over, my task for you today is to practice. Become familiar with the weapon, and be ready to impress me!"

Nodding my head, I returned the weapon to him. As I turned around, making my way towards my next class, I started to think of my future combat potential. I'd need something to make up for short ranged combat, as fighting with the bow itself seemed like a terrible idea. Unless, of course, I crafted the ends into some kind of blade...

* * *

Taiyang stood in my room, looking at the bow and quiver spread across my bed. He thought back to my fight, to when I was being pushed back by the opponent I still didn't know the name of, and saw something.

Something that, at the time, I was entirely unaware of. As I was being pushed back, nearing the edge of the ring, all of a sudden things that resembled branches broke out of the ground, wrapping around my feet to hold me in place.

When I moved to take a step, they dissipated only to emerge once again when my foot touched the ground once more. Each and every step, the branches would disappear into a fading green Aura, only to break through the ground again.

He still had a working theory about what exactly was taking place, and he couldn't prove anything until I got back. He would wait a little, to see if they ended up emerging again on their own.

If not, he'd intervene. Bring them out himself. After all, if they worked the way he thought they did, he could have potentially found one of the most interesting huntsman to ever come out of Signal.

 _'He get's more and more intriguing as time goes on.'_ He thought, as he left my room. It would be discussed at a later time. For now, he figured, I needed to learn how to use the bow.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** So, what do you think? Like it? I was actually very happy with this chapter. I thought the combat was a little... I don't know, lackluster, but I think it fits. When you see a couple of thirteen year old kids swinging at each other, it's not that impressive. Not exactly the same, sure, but they're still learning. Inexperience doesn't always make for the most exciting fights, but it has to be overcome before you get to the good stuff.

So, anyone think they know exactly how the branches work? It's a rather simple concept, but I don't think I made it overly obvious in this Chapter. It was only a brief appearance, something that Silva himself wasn't aware of, and only Taiyang's trained eyes were able to catch them.

Not a whole lot of Taiyang annoying Silva in this chapter. I'm enjoying the way I'm writing him, but in class he needs to be at least somewhat competent. He _is_ a teacher, after all.

And, to the guest who left a review on Chapter 2. You made a very solid point, one I'm glad you addressed about Silva's ability to purchase fireworks. I guess I never really considered it an expense, as off season fireworks can be bought in my hometown anywhere from five to fifteen cents for the smaller ground based fireworks, and around a dollar for rockets.. Add a closing sale to it, and they'd be dirt cheap. However, a few hundred fireworks definitely adds up. I made a short edit to the chapter, just to address this, but I'll try to avoid oversights like this in the future. Basically, I mentioned that Dust, one of the most common materials on Remnant, is incredibly volatile. As such, it would make sense for fireworks to be even cheaper there.

So, as always, any criticism is appreciated!

Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful spring break for those of you that are just starting! I know I will!

~YeOldDoorHinge


	4. Chapter 4: Hunting 101

Wood, creaking. A low noise, only audible to those that would be within a foot of the source. Ever so close to breaking, but giving way perfectly.

Very pleasing to the ears.

A string, letting out a sound reminiscent of rubber. Made of a material foreign to me, it gives ever so slightly, seeming slightly elastic. However, the lack of give says nothing of the quality. I have little doubt it could support weight of up to five hundred pounds.

And, apparently, this is one of the poorer materials available to Hunters. To the common citizen, however, it's something that would not be easily obtained.

I stood in the woods just outside the building that was made into my home. Taiyang's office in name, it actually resembled a small house. Complete with a kitchen, a bathroom, as well as three bedrooms.

I had taken up residence in one of the rooms, another being used as an actual office to the irresponsible man. The third, empty. Whenever I asked why he never did anything with it, he simply said it was for a future project.

It had been two weeks since I started here at Signal. Two weeks since I started practicing with the bow. For the most part, all the free time I had was spent learning how to accurately shoot the thing.

Archery, as Taiyang put it, is a skill that is gradually developed over a life time, much like any other weapon. One of the disadvantages of those students that never received training before their time at Signal was being behind the curve. Many students were raised from an early age by a Hunter parent, trained to use the weapon they, themselves, were proficient in.

That being said, I had a month to become somewhat competent with the damn thing. Once Taiyang figured out that I was actually happy with the bow, and that I'd be sticking with it, he gave me a month to learn how to fight with it.

See, up until this point, I had continued using the twin blades I fought with on my first day of combat class. During spars, they were the more practical option, as I could at the very least swing them around to do damage.

If I can't hit anything with my bow, it's pointless.

So, that's where the month came in. In one months time, from that point forward, I would be required to use my bow in every spar I competed in for my remaining time here at Signal. No exceptions.

It served as a motivation technique, I suppose. If I don't learn how to use it, I'll never win again. Thus, my practice. Every day. For hours at a time. I'd wake up early, and go to sleep late.

For the first couple of days, after my Aura ran dry, my fingers would start to blister terribly. I would continue to fire the bow until the point of bleeding, when I was forced to stop. I'd dress the wounds, sleep, and let my recovering Aura heal my hands.

Next day, same deal.

However, that wasn't a problem anymore. I was learning new ways to use my Aura, ways to perfect my shot. Pumping the stuff only into the muscles being used to draw the bow, I also coated my finger tips making contact with the string.

Nothing wasted.

My fingers release, eyes locked dead ahead at my target. On the other side of the clearing I was currently training at, was a deer. The woods surrounding Signal, and patch for that matter, were filled with wildlife of all kinds.

Including Grimm, however they rarely wandered this close to the combat school. All too quickly, they learned none of them ever lived to return.

The arrow whistled through the air, a blur that couldn't be kept track of.

 _*thump*_

The arrow made contact with the intended target. The deer stood, seemingly petrified. Above it's head, in between it's antlers, was the arrow, embedded into a tree.

I smiled.

"Well, wasn't that just beautiful?"

I turned to face Qrow, walking towards my fired arrow. The deer had already fled by this point, likely thinking it narrowly escaped death.

He plucked the arrow from the tree, and turned to face me. There, at the end of the arrow, was a leaf. A leaf that was stuck on the shaft, as it had been pierced by the arrowhead.

"To aim at, and hit, a falling leaf. A bit too cliche for my tastes, but impressive nonetheless."

"Cliche? You do understand you're named 'Qrow,' right?" I've had many interactions with Qrow, because of my 'relationship' with Tiayang. The two are apparently family, but a kind not bound by blood. He is the brother of Yang's mother, who disappeared shortly after she was born. They didn't explain any further than that.

Taiyang often sent Qrow here to ask things of me, when he himself "couldn't be bothered" to make the trip. But, that brought up the question, what did he want? It was currently around six thirty in the afternoon, and he should be heading home if he wasn't there already.

"Alright, what does he want?" I had reached a nice stopping point for the day, as this would mean I was coming off of a high point. I could get this over task over with, and reward myself by going to bed early tonight.

I'd still wake up just as early, though.

"It's the weekend. Pack up some necessities, we're going to be making a little outing. Bring anything you might need to keep yourself alive."

Well didn't that sound cryptic?

* * *

There I stood, outfitted in my combat attire, bow in hand. My quiver was hung around my waist, as it was much more practical to draw arrows from there.

Across from me, were Qrow and Taiyang, looking at me as if I was crazy. "No food? Water? Anything? We told you to bring what you needed to survive, and this is all you brought?"

"Well, if I knew you were going to throw me into the woods for two days, tasked with defeating at least a dozen Grimm, I would have been more prepared." Honestly, these guys were crazy. They didn't explain anything, how could they expect me to just assume this is what I'd be doing? It was seven in the afternoon for Christ's sake, it was going to be dark out soon. Shouldn't this normally be started in the morning?

"And why am I doing this to begin with? Aren't we scheduled for a group outing early next semester? Seems a bit irresponsible to just throw me out there." I wasn't eager at all. I thought about this day, the day I fought Grimm for the first time, but I just assumed I'd have discovered my semblance by then. That I'd have crafted my weapon, and was proficient in its use. That I'd have a real edge.

The Grimm around patch aren't super dangerous, being limited to Beowolves and the occasional Ursa, but if I ran into a thirty strong pack, I'd be in trouble.

"That's a secret. All I'll say is that I'm hoping you'll benefit greatly from this. Well, anyways! Good hunting! Have a fun trip!" With that, he pushed me off into the woods.

...

"Alright Qrow, you follow him quietly. Make sure he doesn't get in too over his head. Watch to see if he uses it, and hope that he realizes it this time. I'll patrol around, and take out the immediate threats. Don't want him taking on anything too dangerous. Last I remember, I saw a Nevermore around this area..."

...

I was sprinting, attempting to get to the end of the island as quickly as possible. Patch was rather large, but luckily Signal was located only a few hours away from the edge. I set out as the sun was setting, and it was well into the night now. I was around a half hour out, and I had yet to see any Grimm.

I doubted my luck would hold out for long.

I was eager to reach the cliff I was running for, as I would then proceed to begin climbing down. Below it was only ocean, but I should be able to find a ledge large enough for me to sleep on. I'd go about hunting once I was well rested.

I stopped, suddenly. Just in front of me, was a tree that had been marked by what looks like a pair of Beowolf claws. Was it recent? I had no way of knowing, as it wasn't deep enough to draw out any sort of sap. I drew my bow, and notched an arrow.

I listened, trying to find anything out of place. Any sudden rustles? Low growling sounds?

Nothing, as far as I could tell. Only the steady sound of wind blowing through the trees.

I decided to slowly stalk the rest of the way. With this being the home stretch, the last thing I wanted was to rush things. That's how people end up dying.

As I grew up, I came to understand just how dangerous this hunting thing was. The Grimm were a real threat, and any attempts to push past the already established borders were met with nothing but death.

People lost their lives daily, and Huntsman were no different. People would settle for normalcy, only to be met with something unexpected, and parish because of it.

If there's one thing I learned from my previous life, it's to always be aware of your surroundings. Understand that the unexpected is simply an eventuality, and be prepared for it.

A lesson I learned from my rather sudden death.

So, I was wary. Ready. Prepared for the fact that I couldn't be prepared for everything. Sometimes, life just throws a left hook, and you have to take it. It's how you deal with that blow that decides your fate.

Do you crumble? Or do you use it as a chance for a counterattack?

I was about ten minutes out from the cliff when I heard a rustle from a ways off. It seemed unnatural given how the wind has been behaving, so I decided to play it safe.

I scaled the nearest tree, and waited. The rustling was slowly getting closer, so I could definitely determine it was a living creature of some kind.

Eyes. Red, evil eyes came shining through the brush. Out, emerged a lone Beowolf. It's not often they wander from their pack, so it's likely that it's doing something akin to reconnaissance.

If I took it out now, that'd be one of my twelve required kills, but I couldn't be sure how far away its pack was. If I didn't kill it before it let out a cry, I might be in serious trouble.

I started to draw my bow back, taking aim. I didn't want to risk the arrow being deflected off the mask before it pierced, so I was waiting for it to pass. I would aim for the back of the head, just to the side of the spine.

I drew as slowly, and carefully as I could manage. I didn't want to be given away from the sound the bow made as it tightened.

Releasing a breath to steady my arms, I looked on at the back of the beast...

 _*thwip*_

The arrow soared through the air, quickly approaching the Grimm. Embedding itself just left of its spine, right into the back of its head, the beast collapsed. Didn't even have the chance to let out a sound.

I jumped from the tree, and continued towards the cliff. I quickened my pace just a little, as I didn't want to encounter any Grimm that went to check on the previous one.

I still didn't fully understand how Grimm interacted with each other, but if scouting was something they were capable of, I don't think it'd be too much to assume they'd check on a missing pack member...

The cliff was rather steep, but luckily there were a few outcroppings. After loading up on some brush, so that I could conceal myself once I was situated on a ledge, I pulled out two arrows and used them to aid me in my descant.

Stopping at the first that was large enough to hold my entire body, I covered myself in brush. After listening to the waves crashing below me for a brief period of time, I drifted off, wondering about how I'd progress tomorrow.

* * *

"The next time I see Taiyang I'm going to punch him right in that goddamned face of his!" I was currently sprinting through the forest, dodging left and right as I was chased by a pack of eight Beowolves.

Normally, this wouldn't be too bad, except that as I was pulling back to take one of beasts out, the bow snapped. Like, right in half. I guess when Taiyang said this generation preferring to use weapons with guns, as opposed to bows, referred to this one specifically. Who knows how long this thing has been around.

So, I found myself weaponless. I had fifty some odd arrows, the quiver being carried in my hand, as a Beowolf class severed it.

They were slowly catching up, and I didn't have a lot of time to think of a plan before I broke into a clearing. All around me, for at least two hundred yards, was a flat field.

"Great." After making my way into the center of the field, I turned around and stood my ground. The Beowolves had already entered the field, and once they saw that I was stopped they slowed down.

One of them took point, and the others slowly circled around me. From my quiver, I took out two arrows, one in each hand. If I couldn't shoot them, I could at least treat them as a one off knife. After stabbing one into a Beowolf, I'd simply let go and draw out another.

Okay, how was I going to do this. Eight Beowolf, circled around me. They obviously wouldn't attack one by one, and the most I could attack at once was two. I could try to distract them somehow, just long enough to escape. That wasn't likely, though.

Slowly, they closed in on me. Beowolves were cautious by nature, and wouldn't normally act unless they had you by surprise. Once you were aware of their presence, however, it was a much slower fight.

Any sudden move on my part would likely cause them to all charge at me. If I waited for them, they'd reach me all at once. I slowly bent down, stabbing both arrows into the ground.

I pulled out two more, and slowly started stepping backwards. The Beowolves had to speed up slightly to continue the plan to encircle me. That was fine, though. If, before I was completely circled, I managed to position a bunch of arrows accordingly...

I may have a shot.

After sticking six more arrows into the ground, I set the quiver down, and I pulled out two more. Alright... it's time to give this a shot.

I shot forward, running straight at one of the damned things. At this, every one of them jumped into action, but I didn't care. First, the one in front of me.

Ducking a slash of its claws, I kicked it in the stomach with an Aura charged leg. After it doubled over, I came from below and stabbed one of my arrows right up through the underside of its jaw.

The beast backed off, struggling for a moment, before it collapsed.

One down.

Turning, I could see that the closest two Beowolves were already on me. I lunged towards one, turning in midair so I could plant my feet against its chest, before I pumped as much Aura into my legs as I could and pushed off.

I sent myself flying towards the second Beowolf, as the first was pushed away. Readying the arrow in my hand, I stabbed the arrow into its chest. The Grimm roared, and started to swing wildly at me.

After dodging a few swipes, I punched the shaft of the arrow, burying it all the way into the Grimm's chest.

After stumbling back, the Grimm fell.

Two down.

Knowing that it was likely that the rest of the Grimm had arrived behind me, I dashed forward. After gaining some distance, I turned around. The Beowolves were all charging me, and I ran head first into them.

I simply dodged, not bothering to attack. I took a few blows, but my Aura blocked most of it.

I came to a sliding stop once I reached the arrows in the ground, and plucked two before turning around. One of the Grimm dived at me, and I decided to allow it to make contact. However, I positioned one of the arrows in such a way that that the Grimm dove mouth first into it.

Three.

Rolling from the ground, I had to tackle a Beowolf to get inside its attack. The beast clawed at my back, and I simply gritted my teeth as I stabbed the arrow into the side of its head.

Four.

Shoving the dead Grimm off of me, I made sure to use the dissipating body as a shield against the nearest one.

This was bad. I only had four down, and the rest didn't care. There was no stopping to reassess the situation, no adjusting my plan, I just had to attack. I had arrows positioned in the ground at key locations so I could draw one if I was disarmed, but it did nothing for me in this situation. The Grimm I just killed managed to pierce my Aura faster than it could cover my back, and I could now feel myself bleeding.

In front of me were two Beowolves, one shrugging off the body I threw onto it. I didn't see the other two, which meant they were circling around behind me. If I stood still too long, I'd get flanked.

I had to continue forward, not leaving a chance for an attack from behind, but I didn't know what to do.

"Right in the goddamned face!" I repeated, before charging again. I could only think so much before I started to doubt my abilities. And that's the last thing I needed right now.

On the way I managed to pull another arrow from the ground, before I had to duck under a swing from one of the Beowolves. I lowered my shoulder into its chest to knock it back a few feet. I turned just in time to block a swipe from the second, skull rattling at the force behind the blow.

I managed to break my arrow off into its eye, before I kicked the arrow further into the socket.

Five.

As soon as my foot left the beast's head, I dove backwards into a roll. A Beowolf had just pounced onto where I was standing the moment before, and I ripped two more arrows from the ground.

Realizing there were only two Grimm in front of me, the one I dodged and the one I shoulder checked, I was too late to attempt to dodge the strike I just realized was coming.

I was sent into a wild sprawl, and only after rolling a few feet was I able to stand back up.

One of the three remaining Grimm was charging me, and I met it head on. I decided that if I wanted this to end before I ran out of Aura, I needed to do it quickly. However reckless that may be.

I decided to willingly accept an attack, just so I could deliver my own. The arrow pierced through the roof of the Beowolf's mouth, and it died just as its paw stuck my shoulder.

I felt a wild pain as I guessed it was dislocated, my Aura kept the beast from piercing my skin, and it kept my bones from breaking, but it didn't stop the joint from moving out of place.

I grunted, as I settled for using one arm. There were only two left, and I didn't have time to reset it.

The Grimm both charged at the same time, coming from the same direction. Seems they figured that if they attempted to flank me I'd just charged towards one of them.

I coated myself in Aura, hoping that it would hold out enough to protect me from anything fatal, and charged. Now wasn't the time to doubt my ability to kill these things. Now was the time to act.

I had one arm, so I would only be able to attack one of them. I needed to make sure the attack killed it, so I would be left with the other. It would attack me during this, of course, but I believed I could take it.

I didn't have time to consider what would happen if I couldn't.

Both beasts swung simultaneously, but I only made an effort to dodge one so I could move inside its reach. As the other stuck me directly on the side, my arrow pierced through the mask of the Grimm I attacked.

I was flung to the side, much like a rag doll would be, and only recovered to see the remaining Beowolf already on me. I landed next to the last arrow I had in the ground, so I pulled it out.

I stabbed out and hoped for the best, only to be met with disappointment when the arrow broke off only half way into its chest. The Grimm had me pinned, and I was only able to keep it at bay with my legs.

I was using my hand to block its claw strikes, and I couldn't reach for the quiver located four feet to my right.

Was I going to die?

...

Hell no. Screw that.

Who was I to die? Been there, done that. Do you know how pissed I would be if I ended up in a different new world and had to deal with all this learning shit again?

I refuse.

It was at this moment, my life changed drastically.

I felt something warm inside me. Not like when I awakened my Aura, but rather, it felt like a sense of calm washing over me. Like everything was going to be okay.

My body continued to fight back, but it was on autopilot. Like I wasn't even involved. My eyes closed, and for a brief second it was like time froze.

I understood.

All of it. My ability. My semblance.

I read about this before, how when you discover your semblance it's like a moment of clarity. Like you just get it.

Sometimes, you will unknowingly display your ability, but that is different.

I smile.

Opening my eyes back up, I channel Aura into my hand that was currently in a death grip with one of the Beowolf's arms.

Once enough Aura was gathered, I injected in straight into the Grimm's body. I haven't heard a lot of cases that allow you to externalize your Aura, but mine just so happens to be one of those few.

Remotely, I can still control my Aura. However, I know that it only works up to a couple dozen yards.

That doesn't matter, though. The Beowolf in front of me is well within range.

It was as simple as willing it. My semblance, that is. I willed my Aura into wood.

From the inside of the Beowolf, the Aura transformed. Wood was forced from its mouth, as well as its eyes. It forced its way out of its arm, and stabbed through its leg and into the ground.

I just killed this thing from the inside out.

The Grimm stood there, unable to move, as it dissolved around the wood. It couldn't even slump to the ground, as the wood held it up.

Interesting. I didn't know semblances could be this... well, interesting.

I can materialize my Aura, but only as wood. I can externalize it to be materialized later, but I have to have the Aura embedded into something.

...Like arrows.

Taiyang, that sly bastard. He must have known, somehow. Or at least had an idea.

I took out my bow, seeing that both of its halves were only held together by the string. I used my semblance to temporarily mend it, and notched an arrow.

I imbued the arrow with Aura, and sent it flying. After making contact with the ground, I activated my semblance and made a tree sprout from where it landed. Minus the leaves, of course.

Walking up to the tree, I reverted it into Aura and reabsorbed it.

"Haha! How cool is that! Oh, just thinking of what I can do with it..." I was happy. There were so many uses. For one, I didn't have to make contact with my arrows. I could shoot them around the battlefield, laying like traps and waiting for the enemy to get within range.

With my ability to externalize, I could store my Aura outside my body. I doubt I would be able fill back up once I had it out, but I can basically use this ability as a faint during a spar. Make the opponent think I have less Aura than I really do...

The possibilities were numerous.

"Looks like I'll have to thank Taiyang for putting me into this ridiculous situation. Right after I punch him in his smug face, that is."

* * *

"Ow!" Taiyang reeled back from the hit, rubbing the red mark I left behind on his cheek. "You just assaulted your teacher! I'm telling!"

"Oh, shut it. Your lucky I didn't do anymore with what you put me through. Honestly, sending a student on a task like that without him having ever encountered Grimm before. If this isn't child endangerment, I don't know what is." I checked my fist, to make sure I didn't get any stupid on it.

"Don't act like you aren't grateful! I heard what you said in the woods earlier." He continued to rub his face, acting bitter.

"...what was that? In the woods?" Well, would you look at that. Sounds like someone was following me. And didn't help.

"Uuuhhh. I heard what you said... in... the... words... earlier. You know, like I heard the words. I thought you said thank you?" Idiot.

"Taiyang, are you telling me that you watched as I was nearly eaten, and didn't do anything to help?" I asked, feigning confusion.

"Qrow was there too! Go be mad at him!" Really, this guy just can't make it better for himself, can he?

"Whatever. I'm going back. You better not bother me for the rest of the day." Just as I was turning around, I remembered something. "Oh yeah, and you're fixing this."

I threw my broken bow at his feet, and left. Now that I had my semblance, my confidence level has shot through the roof. Where before I thought Yang, contender for best fighter in our year, would level me, I now thought I'd destroy her.

Looks like I'll be taking on the similarly smug blond sooner than I thought... Oh, how it'd be fun to make her look up to me. If I was able to make Taiyang's daughter see me as something important, a goal for her to overcome, or a friendly rival, I might have some leverage over the idiot teacher...

How great would it be to see his face should Yang invite me over to her place to "discuss combat strategy?" That's all we'd really be doing, of course. When it came to fighting, Yang was actually quite serious. But, from what I could gather, Yang is the type to lock us in her room, simply because she knew what her dad would be thinking.

A real prankster at heart, that one.

I didn't know for sure if I would win, though. She has yet to reveal a semblance, but it's possible she simply hasn't needed it yet. Or, that it's something you wouldn't notice with your eyes. Either way, I wanted to go back and practice with my new ability.

Next semester we were also going to build our weapons, and I had some ideas I needed to investigate further...

"Next stop, I'm taking the top."

...

That totally rhymed.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** So, what do you guys think? I'm pretty happy with it. If you are worried about how slow this may, or may not, be progressing, it's fine. I need some key developments to happen during Silva's stay at Signal, and a lot of those just so happen to be around the beginning. While you shouldn't expect me to be skipping entire years from this point forward, the timeline will definitely be progressing.

With that being said, you can expect a fair amount of chapters between here and Beacon. While I think it might be entertaining to simply jump from here to Beacon, simply so you guys can experience Silva after he is "fully" developed, I don't think that'd pay off in the long run.

At that point, I'd have to explore his backstory is flashbacks, or something similar, and those are always my least favorite part of stories.

Anyways, that's it for today! Have a nice spring break! (Unless you've already had it, of course)

~YeOldDoorHinge


	5. Chapter 5: Bad Hair Day

As I laid there, on the ground, I stared dumbly at the ceiling. The room was spinning, the lights fading in and out, and in all the jumbled thoughts swimming around my head there was only one thing I could make out.

What the _hell_ just happened?

...

I found myself in this predicament just a few days after discovering my semblance. Taiyang had ordered a special kind of wood to repair my broken bow.

The school didn't have any around, so it would be here on the next regularly scheduled supply ship. Which meant thata for the next few days, I would be without practice.

Kind of sucks, when you consider the fact that I'll be fighting Yang Xiao Long today.

On Monday. I was coming off of the high that surrounded my escapades in the woods, and I felt invincible. Yang, keeping with her routine, challenged me after 'flirting' for a bit.

I use the term loosely, because thirteen year old kids really didn't know what they were doing.

Normally, I would turn down her challenge. The spars are set up randomly, unless both parties agree otherwise, and I always told her that it would happen "when it was meant to."

Today was different though. _I_ was different. She had already turned around, at this point simply making the daily challenge out of habit, when I agreed.

"Sure, why not? I think it's about time we see which of us is stronger." I was cocky, and rightfully so. I had a new found ability that I would classify as S tier, and I was getting rather skilled with my bow.

Before, I had little doubt I would lose. We were both currently undefeated, but where she dominated in all of her matches, I scrapped by. I exploited my opponents weaknesses, and was able to play off of their inexperience.

Yang though, as far as I could tell, had none. Which, to say the least, was very disconcerting. She was trained by a combat instructor at one of the best combat schools on the continent, and probably knew how to cover those weaknesses up.

If I were to name one Achilles heel that I possessed, it would be my inexperience hands down. People like her were like my kryptonite.

She seemed ecstatic, eager to face me. I told her that we would fight on Wednesday, as I was recovering from a few injuries I received over the weekend.

She was curious as to how I got hurt, but I simply wrote it off as "dumb guy stuff," and she nodded in understanding.

"Boys will be boys," was her reply.

It was only later I learned from Taiyang that he wouldn't have the necessary materials needed to repair the bow. I could fight with it by using my semblance to mend the bow temporarily, but I noticed that I made a unique type of wood.

I couldn't match the bow, and that threw off everything. The weight, aim, and force required to pull the string back were all too far off for me to use practically.

So, I was left in a bit of a jam. I couldn't cancel our fight, as Yang was going around making a big deal of it. "Come see us prove who's the best of the first years!" Was her excitable message.

Seemed to piss off the two other undefeated students, who were also quite skilled, but she didn't seem to care too much about them for whatever reason. They had challenged her a few times themselves, but she always refused.

I had asked her about it one of the many times she was challenging me to a fight, but she simply told me that a "stupid boy like me wouldn't understand."

I was inclined to think it was a crush of some kind, but the other two were also fairly attractive teenage boys. Hence, my confusion.

Anyways, I was in a pretty terrible situation. This meant that I had to go forward with the fight, and I had to use the twin knives I've been sparing with.

I have developed some skill with them, the daily sparring making for decent experience, but it couldn't compare to the work I put in with my weapon of choice.

I could always try to play it off later, if I lost, saying that I didn't expect her to be "so amazing," and that I didn't use my "real" weapon. She may be flattered by this, and the other students may understand. Or, and this is the more likely scenario, I'll simply come off as a sore loser.

"Dammit!" I cursed silently, as I was putting on my combat attire. The outfit was currently a bit... worse for wear.

I had obvious claw marks along my back, and the pads on my previously injured shoulder were shredded. This would raise some questions.

As I strapped my last piece of gear into place, I walked over to the weapon rack and noticed something very unpleasant...

"Where the hell are my knives?" Looking around, I spotted the two other undefeated students standing in the corner. They were sporting stupid grins, and the taller one of the bunch was holding something that looked an awful lot like my weapons.

"Is this what I think it is?" I ask, walking right up to the two douche bags. Suddenly, I was awful glad Yang never gave these two the time of day. Showed she was an unexpectedly good judge of character.

"Sorry, pretty boy, but it looks like you're out of luck. Crim, over here, actually really wanted to try out these knives today. It's unfortunate that there's only one pair, but you know how it is. We're supposed to be experimenting with these weapons, after all." The redhead next to him, Crim, simply snickered.

"You mind telling me what this is about? And don't give me any bullshit. You want to sabotage my fight? You do understand that even if you don't, someone loses their undefeated record, right? So, it's definitely not you trying to make yourselves look better." At this, Crim's snicker turned into a full-blown laugh.

"Oh, you just don't get it, do you? We will look better. Because _you'll_ look bad. Maybe once Yang sees just how terrible you really are, she'll realize we're more deserving of her attention. Right, Naiv?" Crim asked, bumping shoulders with the blue haired one.

Oh, come on. They're jealous? Seriously? I mean sure, teenagers, but come on! I barely talk to the girl! I'd even go as far as to say I'm friendlier with her dad! And I hate the prick!

Our conversations consist of, for the most part, one sided flirting and a daily challenge that I always turn down. Every once in a while, one of my errands will have me delivering her a message from Taiyang, but that's it!

I'll admit that I'm fairly popular among the guys, I try my best to fit it so that I don't stand out in an undesirable way, but girls? I don't flirt, I keep interactions brief, and while I would say that Yang is the female I'm most familiar with, I'd hardly call that impressive.

I decided that I'd go for the distant type, the kind girls will watch from afar and hope that one day they'll be able to "open my heart up." It was an easy decision on my part, as I found the entire prospect of flirting with thirteen year old kids... well, gross.

I'd probably feel more comfortable at Beacon, where everyone is considered, for the most part, an adult. I may attempt to explore a relationship there, but either way I think it'll be hard for me to find myself terribly invested in someone.

I never will be if I don't find someone to open up to about my past life. Even Maria, the woman who raised me, I only care so much for. If she died, I'd obviously be upset, but I felt comfortable leaving her.

One day, when I was a big bad Hunter, I'd go back and help her out. Until then, I was fine living my own life.

It was quite sad, really. I have no especially close bonds, and I spend most of my time with a teacher.

God, what am I doing? Did it really take something this dumb to realize how... poor my relationships are? In my attempts to make myself out to be a bad ass, I overlooked one fact.

Every person of worth has an old friend that they have stories with. Something along the lines of "one time, me and a friend stole a cow and led it into the school after dark. We led it up the stairs to the second floor, knowing full well cows hate walking down them. The next day, they had to call the fire department to come help and everything."

That kind of stuff.

Well, whatever. It's something I'd have to fix later.

"Jealousy? Really? How... expected. As cliche as things get, really." I decided to voice my thoughts, in an effort to piss the two off. It's all I could do, really. They were right about the purpose of the weapons. If he chose the knives today, that's all there was to it.

It seemed to do the trick, as the two simply sneered before leaving.

"Alright, what the hell do I do now?" This isn't good. At all. For three reasons.

One, I am experienced with exactly zero of these weapons. So, basically, I'm screwed.

Two, the crowd will think I'm too cocky. When I lose, and it's starting to look that way, they'll all just call me an idiot.

Three, Yang. Yang, Yang, Yang. She'll think I'm looking down on her. I've seen her fight, how brutal she can be when someone tries to cop a feel during a spar, and I guarantee this will be way worse, given her personality. I could try to explain the situation to her, but it'll just come off as making excuses.

"Well, when in doubt, flail." I picked up the the medieval weapon, with a surprisingly long chain of about three feet, and made my way to the dueling arena. All the challenges were handled first, and with how big a deal Yang made of the entire affair, I had little doubt we'd be going first.

I already had a few ideas for the weapon, ways I could make the most of it with my semblance, but I didn't think it would matter too much.

* * *

"What is that?" Yang was standing across from me, staring at me like I'd grown a second head.

"It's a flail." I answered lamely, still not pleased with the weapon. Just about everything that was worth something was gone, and all that remained were weapons that required a high skill level to use effectively.

"Why are you using it?" She seemed more confused than anything, simply not understanding why I would choose the outdated weapon.

"Believe me, it wasn't my first choice." I mumbled, taking a stance. The only thing the ball-and-chain had going for it was the length of the chain. With my semblance, I should manage some interesting things, but one of the flails biggest weaknesses were its close combat capabilities.

That weakness? Yang's specialty.

"Alright you two, are you ready to begin?" Tiayang asked, a dumb smile on his face. From the moment I walked on stage with this stupid thing, he started acting like it was causing him physical pain to keep a laugh from bubbling out.

"Yeah!" Came Yang, excited to begin. I simply nodded, and moved to prepare myself.

Alright, what do I know about Yang? She's straightforward. She'll start by making a straight dash for me. Nothing fancy, just looking to get in close.

She's a boxer, and she hits hard. While dodging around her opponent's strikes, she delivers several of her own. The hits she does take? Shrugs them off, as if they were nothing.

An incredibly mobile tank. She's a walking weapon.

My best bet was to slow her down. I could create barriers around the ring, in an attempt to slow her down. The only problem with that, would be limiting the space around me. It would force her to stay in one place more often, but that would also be beneficial to her close combat as it limited the space directly around us.

I'd have to settle for laying traps. Try to outsmart her. That wasn't exactly ideal either, though. What Yang lacked in book smarts, she made up for in battle sense. She understood to keep an eye on her surroundings at all times.

Whatever the case, I'd have to try. It was my only option at this point.

"Begin!" Came Taiyang, jumping to the side of the ring to allow us room to fight.

As expected, Yang charged straight for me.

But I was prepared.

I pumped Aura into the head of my flail, and swung it downwards. She had to dodge left to avoid being hit. As the flail made contact with the ground, I transferred the Aura into the now cracked stone.

Pulling the flail back, I once again coated the head in Aura. This time, as she was right in front of me, I swung the chain in an attempt to wrap it around her.

She seemed to understand what I was doing though, as she jumped back, out of reach. My flail once again made contact with the ground, so I pumped more Aura in the ring.

I have two traps currently laid. Not enough. I need more.

Deciding on something a bit risky, I charged this time. Every three steps, I used my feet as conduits to transfer a bit of my Aura into the ground.

Yang couldn't tell what was happening, as she had no reason to look at my Aura gauge, but I understood that the students in the audience would likely be confused. To them, for no reason, my Aura would decrease in bursts.

I was currently sitting at three fourths of my maximum capacity.

Yang moved to meet my charge, and I swung my flail once again. She dodged as I expected, but I used it as an opportunity to plant another trap.

This continued for a few more swings, Yang dodging while I planted.

Suddenly, Yang jumped back completely out of range. She was getting frustrated. I moved to avoid her getting in too close, as I was still confident in my speed, and swung, wildly at her.

"Alright, enough of that! With the chain being so long, there's no way you can hit me! Just throw it away!" She was annoyed, it seemed. Each time I swung, she had plenty warning, but it still provided me a wide range to continue my attacks. I would chain one swing into another, never relenting.

At the very least, it did fairly well keeping her at bay. Once she got inside my guard though...

I was finished.

Well, I would be, if this was all I had.

"You're right, there's no way I can hit you with this thing. Which is fine, really, seeing as I don't need it to." With that, I set one last trap, by dropping the Aura charged weapon. It would serve as a host to my Aura at this point, and nothing more.

Putting my hands in my pocket, I simply closed my eyes.

I was creating an opening.

I could feel the traps I set throughout the ring, numbering fifteen in total. I pumped a fair amount of Aura into each spot, so I was worried about where I was currently sitting.

A quick glance at the board told me that I was just over half. Alright, so I need to avoid getting hit as much as possible. One of the downfalls I discovered about my semblance was that it directly converted my Aura.

While I had a fairly large Aura reserve, it still drained quite quickly.

I waited. She would be cautious, sure, but she would be watching me. She had no way of knowing what was under her.

Slowly, I could hear her. Step by step, she got closer. She was watching for any sudden moves on my part, but she would receive nothing. I had a trap located directly in front of me, and until she stepped on it, I stood.

Suddenly, she started sprinting. She was trying to catch me off guard,. Switch up the pace, throw me off. It wouldn't work, though. Because I was looking for one thing...

"There!" I suddenly shouted, opening my eyes. Yang seemed startled, and moved to defend as I raised my arm. But, no, it wasn't an attack. It was a gesture.

"Rise!" I pointed my fingers up, and suddenly the ground under Yang exploded into wood. It was shaped as plain platform, and flung her into the air.

As she attempted to right herself in the air, she had one expression on her face; shock.

As I watched her descent, I prepared to activate my Aura that was lying near where she would land.

"Spike!" I shouted out, pointing towards Yang.

Before she had a chance to land, a wooden spike shot from the ground aiming straight for her. She managed to meet it with her metal-covered fist, and the end shattered. I didn't mind though, as the spike began to reform in a way that trapped her arm.

By this point, I was sprinting at her. I prepared Aura in my hand, and arrived just in time to see her break free. "Javelin!" I shouted, pointing the Aura coated hand towards her.

A long, thin, pointed stick shot out towards her, and she only barely managed to duck under it.

I imagine I sounded quite dumb right now, as I shouted out the form the wood would take. I wasn't very experienced in controlling it yet, and verbalizing seems to help me with shaping.

I activated the Aura under my feet, this one being the largest trap I planted, and the ground erupted into wood once again. When I didn't vocalize, I was still able to allow the wood to spread out wildly.

There, in the center of the arena, I stood at the top of a rather crude tree. Yang, still seeming surprised by the entire display, began to circle around. It wasn't long before she landed on another trap, and I reached out.

"Prison!" Heeding the will behind my voice, wood erupted around Yang, forming a cage.

"Forest!" At the second command, all the inactivated traps formed large, jagged trees. Yang started to punch her way out of the cage, and I jumped off of my wooden stage.

Reaching out to the wooden cage, I whispered, "converge."

From each of the trees, branches started to grow out towards the prison. As each branch made contact, the wood fused.

"Strengthen!" Louder this time, all the wood started to flow through the branches, and into the cage. Slowly, the trees shrunk, until everything was fortified into the cage that held Yang.

"Constrict!" I yelled, full force, crushing my hand in a dramatic fashion.

At this, spikes emerged from the inside of the cage, and it started to shrink around Yang. By adding the spikes, I planned to wear through her Aura faster, so I could end it.

While I was able to externalize my Aura as I currently was, I have to use the Aura running through my body to control it. If I ran out, the Aura located around me would simply dissipate, and I'd be unable to reabsorb it

I noticed that I was nearing yellow, and as such needed this to end as soon as possible.

Yang, getting angry, started wailing on the wood. But, with its new found density, there was no hope of her breaking it.

Finally, the cage got tight enough that it began to restrict her. Slowly, but surely, I could see her Aura start to fall.

"It's over, Yang. I've won." I would remember, later, how much of a cliche super villain line that was. A line that they spouted out, right before they _didn't_ win.

...

Yang was struggling, attempting to break free, when something caught her eye. Floating before her face, drifting down ever-so-slowly, was a lock of golden hair. Her eye twitched, and she noticed that one of the spikes was positioned near the top of her head...

"You... you... you..." Yang tried to get out, as her eyes slowly turned red. I was only curious at this, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

"YOU MONSTER!" She finally let out, exploding into a raging flame.

She tore straight through my cage, and was coming right for me at incredible speeds.

"Oh, fu-" I didn't even have a chance to finish forming my sentence, as her fist made contact with the side of my head.

I was flung across the stage, tumbling across the ground. I barely manged to get back onto my feet, before a rain of blows came raining down on me.

I was a rag doll at this point, simply flowing with each individual blow. They were unrelenting, and ruthless.

"HOW COULD YOU!" I seemed to hear, losing feeling throughout most of my body.

All of this culminated in one massive uppercut, that sent me a couple feet into the air. Falling back, I landed on my head.

Strangely enough, I didn't seem to be in any pain. I had a numbing sensation spreading through my body, and I slowly attempted to open my eyes. I was starting at the ceiling, that much I could tell, but the entire room was spinning.

The lights were going crazy, seeming off at one second only to be on another. I couldn't make any sense of my thoughts, laying there dumbly.

That's all I could do. Lay there.

Slowly, feeling started to return. And, boy, I wish it hadn't. Pain woke me from my daze, and after what felt like hours I let out a low groan. What was once a peaceful state of nothing, turned into an unpleasant state of pain.

I could see a figure lean over me, but I couldn't tell who it was. I couldn't even begin to imagine. I was so out of it, I couldn't even recall my own name. All I knew was that my body felt like it was on fire, and something was trying to smash its way out of my head.

"...the nurse..." I was able to make out, before darkness overtook me.

* * *

"Uuuaagghahg." I let out unintelligibly, slowly fading back into consciousness.

"Wh' 'appe'" I tried, still unable to form full words.

"Awake now, are we?" I turned, and saw the school nurse looking down over me. "You had quite the little match in combat class. Before the match had a chance to be called, your Aura gave way and you suffered a few minor injuries. Concussion, bruised ribs, things like that." She smiled, in a rather comforting way.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, this time getting real words out.

"Oh, about an hour. Your concussion is the only thing to really worry over, but it's nothing serious. You'll miss classes for the rest of the day, but you should be good to go after that. If symptoms get worse, just drop by again."

Nodding, I slowly sat up. She was right about my head, as the pain was a lot less... brutal than it was before. After gathering my things, I began the trek back to my residence. I still didn't feel comfortable calling it home, as it was technically that guy's office.

Walking through the door, I suddenly stopped. There, sitting in the living area, was Yang. She had already stripped down to her undershirt, ditching the skirt in favor of a pair of leggings that I assume she was already wearing underneath.

"Umm... Yang? You understand you're supposed to be in class, right?" I was a bit put off, at just how casually she made herself at home here. I know it was her dad's office, technically, but still. I lived here.

"Oh, Silva! You're up!" She jumped from her place on the couch, and bounded over to meet me. "So, you good?"

She seems awful cheerful for someone who just beat the hell out of me. "Umm. Yeah. I'm fine. Just missing class for the day, should be good to go tomorrow. So, um, why are you here?"

"I was worried, silly. I decided to skip class to check up on you when you got back! I may have gone a little overboard there!" She laughed, before dropping the smile and stepping in real close. "And, just a heads up, _never_ touch my hair again. I will _end_ you."

After the threat, she quickly perked back up.

Well, okay then.

"Well, umm. I'm fine. So... you know. You can go." Honestly, I really didn't want to deal with this right now. I just wanted to lay down, and go to sleep. I was eager to let my Aura get to work getting rid of this soreness.

"Go? Why would I go? We have so much to talk about! How fun was that fight? How cool was your semblance?" Well, she was rather happy. Seeing as she loved to fight so much, it must have been nice to have an actual challenge.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Yang. I still need to sleep this headache off, and you really should be in class. I have an excuse, you don't."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Dad wrote me a note, saying I needed "to recover" or something."

How expected. Taiyang, writing his daughter a note to get out of class, unjustly. I can't even be bothered to care anymore.

"Well, do whatever you want. I'm going to lie down. Just don't be too loud." I walked towards the back of the building, and entered my room. I stripped off my shirt, moving onto my pants, before I heard Yang calling out from behind me.

"Meeeow. And here I thought you had something to be embarrassed about, hiding behind that scarf all the time." She purred, leaning against the doorway.

"Yang! What are you doing! Leave!" I turned around quickly, trying to push her out.

"Oh, what's the hurry? I just wanted to talk a little." She laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

"Leave!" I stated once more, loudly, before closing, and this time locking, the door.

Honestly, what kind of thirteen year old was she? Was I going to have to deal with four years of this? God knows she'll only get worse.

It was then that a thought popped into my head. Before, in the locker room, I realized just how little true friends I had. Little, meaning none.

Here I was, "taken under the wing" of Taiyang, as he put it. For the next four years, I would undoubtedly be in close contact with her...

Well, I guess that should have been the obvious choice. And, as luck would have it, she was the outgoing type. I bet I could talk her into all sorts of shenanigans.

After laying down, I could hear Yang back in the living room, watching the television that Taiyang recently brought over. He thought he should make it a bit more "homey" for me, given how little I have.

As I started to fade off, I thought about what my next step would be. At this point, I didn't really have a clear goal. Becoming a Hunter was a rather lengthy process, so I've always settled for "the next step."

Well, for now, the next step would be to make my own weapon. We'll be doing that next semester, and we're only a few weeks into this one. There's quite a bit of time until then.

So, for now, I'm a student. Plain, and simple. This entire time, I've been looking at my life from the third person. How will other people view me? How will this effect my long term goal?

I've been so busy trying to sculpt myself into how I always envisioned the perfect me, that I never stopped to actually enjoy my life. In my head, that came later, when I already made it.

But, what is it they say? School is the best time of your life? I don't have to spend every waking moment making myself better. That's important, of course, but there's nothing wrong with living life.

After all, if I didn't, what was the point of gaining a new one?

Surprised that I had a such a major philosophical breakthrough, simply because I realized that those two pricks from earlier honestly had nothing to be jealous of, I smiled. It was quite pleasant, really.

I was looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** What a chapter! I rolled right from the last one into this one, so I was able to get it up quickly. Everything happened over the span of a single day, but it felt like Silva made some real progress. He was getting just a bit too full of himself there. Would things have been different with his bow? Maybe. But, who's to say? I still hold the opinion that Yang has a ridiculously powerful semblance. Though, as this fight showed, you can't rely solely on your semblance.

Also, that story I mentioned? Leading a cow into the school after dark, up to the second story? True. It's not my story, to be fair. My high school football coach told me that one, about back when he was a student. He was a fairly old guy, in his fifties. I lived in a small Texas town, so I can't imagine what the area was like when he was a kid. He grew up on a farm and everything.

Anyways, that's all there is today!

~YeOldDoorHinge


	6. Chapter 6: A Grand Stage

"Alright class, we're having a bit of a surprise field trip. Tomorrow morning, we'll be setting out by airship to visit Beacon for a couple days. They'll be playing host to a beginners tournament, limited to first year students at entry level combat schools. Everyone will be going, as spectating will be a good way to see how other students have utilized their unique abilities. If you want to compete, however, see me after class to sign up. You will need a partner as well. For what? We're not sure. They're keeping that bit a secret."

With those words, Taiyang dismissed class.

Interesting. A tournament. Seems rather last minute if they're just now informing us of it.

And you have to form a pair? What for? Normally you'd think they'd simply fight together, but the way Taiyang put it, this wasn't the case. He didn't know "for sure."

But who would I pair up with? I definitely wanted to compete, and there was definitely someone who would agree, but I'm not sure I wanted to spend even more time with her than I already do...

"Silva! Come on! I already signed us up!" Yang waved down from near the doorway, and had a stupid grin on her face.

Well, never mind then.

Sighing, I made my way towards her.

Ever since our fight, she's been even more friendly than normal. I started to reciprocate, in an attempt to make an actual friend, but that only made her more excitable. She started to drag me wherever she pleased.

It was exhausting, honestly. The girl had more energy than she had any right to.

"Silva! Hurry! We have a lot of work to do before the tournament tomorrow!" She whined, as I moved to walk even slower.

"You know how I feel about being rushed, Yang." As soon as I reached her, she linked our arms together.

"Come on! We need to get to town quickly. We have so much to do." She dragged me along, making way for the shuttle that would take us to the town in the center of patch.

"Town? Yang! We still have class!" What was she thinking? Last I checked, she had been specifically told by our dust studies teacher to never miss a class again. That teacher was not someone to take lightly.

But, I wouldn't protest too much. At this point, I was merely throwing that out there to make myself look like the responsible one. I did extensive research on the world as a whole during my time before Signal, and I found these classes to be, more or less, pointless to me.

The only two I cared for were Combat, and Qrow's Weapon Creation class. For now, we were just learning the basics. Every week he would give us a new set of blueprints, and we'd have that week to make the weapon.

It was all prep for when we made our weapons next semester.

"Forget class. The tournament is way more important!" Agreed. But, we can't exactly prepare if we don't know what we'll be facing.

...

After getting on the shuttle to town, the driver obviously used to Yang skipping by this point, Yang started to get serious.

"Alright, Silva. Not that the stuff Signal gave you doesn't look good, but it doesn't."

What?

"So, we need to get you some proper combat gear. If you're going to be my partner, you need to look awesome. Not that you don't already! But, you know... yeah."

"While I don't disagree, I don't have to money to spend. Once Taiyang starts to ease up with the errands, I'll get a part-time job in town to buy some. Until then, I'm out of luck." I told her, already having made this plan before.

I'd expect by the beginning of next semester, I'd be able to talk Taiyang into letting me spend my time making money. A proper set of gear was crucial to hunters-in-training.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Yang waved off, flashing a card that had Taiyang's name on it. "I have that covered."

Wait... Is she telling me that Taiyang will be paying for all of this? Does he know about this?

"Does he know about this?" I voiced my thought.

"Of course not. I swiped it from his office. He just leaves things lying around. Don't worry, I do it all the time."

Oh, I'm not worried. If anything, this makes it even better. Taiyang, unknowingly, will be paying for all of my things...

"I won't settle for anything less than the most expensive stuff."

She smiles. "I knew you'd be fun."

* * *

Shopping with Yang? Not as much of a chore as I originally thought it would be.

She was rather reasonable, and true to her word spent the entire time trying to figure out what gear would be best for me.

None of the typical store-to-store nonsense. She knew what to look for, and if some place didn't have it, we were gone. Efficient, and quick. A girl after my own heart.

Well, okay. Maybe not. Still kind of gross.

"It'd be best if we could get everything at the same place. You and that bow need to be able to get around quickly, so light material is a must. It'd be best to have any protective gear concealed under clothes, so enemies don't expect any armor." She summed up, as we entered another store.

Yang was more intelligent than people gave her credit for. She liked to have a good time, and slacked off in class, but when it came down to it she could be quite serious.

Dependable, and strong. A perfect partner, though I could do without the teasing.

I started to pick through the clothes. First, and foremost, we were looking for something "cool." As she pointed out earlier, any protective gear we got would be concealed under whatever clothes we picked out. As such, we needed the clothes first for reference.

It was then, in the back of the room, I noticed something.

A silver jacket, lined with white fur around the collar. It was open in the front, and had nothing to close it. There was also a hood that came out from inside the collar, itself not lined with the bold colored fur. The hood was black, and the entire coat looked to be quite form fitting.

I like it.

Looking around, I found a pair of silver pants that matched to jacket well. The pants had black buckles lined along the legs, and also looked to be form fitting.

A found a pair of plain black combat boots, and they were incredibly light.

Alright, so I think I know what I want.

Walking up to the front, grabbing a plain green shirt along the way, I began to talk to the attendant.

"Can you put this," I flash my emblem, a black circle with silver stars positioned in a way reminiscent of Orion's Belt, "on this shirt?"

"Of course. It'll only take fifteen minutes. We have a press in the back, and it's a rather simple design." I smile, and after handing the shirt over, collected the clothing items I found earlier.

"Yang, we got my clothes. Only took three stores. They'll be finished with my shirt in fifteen minutes, so let's find some armor to fit under this stuff before then." I called out.

She flashed her dad's card, and we made our way to the store that every student of Signal was familiar with. They carried everything the students might need. Armor, dust, ammunition, the whole nine yards.

"Alright, look for something light. It doesn't have to be incredibly effective or anything, as normally I'll be fighting from a distance, but I want something decent."

With that, we separated. I looked around the store as a whole, not immediately going for the armor. In a years time, I would probably be frequenting this place. Might as well see what they have now.

Dust lined the walls, and ammunition of all kinds filled several shelves. Everything from BB pellets for practice, to massive shells that looked similar to what a tank would fire.

The combat gear was located in the back, next to a rack of already assembled weapons. Yang was picking through the armor, so I decided to see if I could get any ideas for when it came time to build my bow.

I still wasn't sure the direction I should go when it came to close combat. I could make the end of the bow into blades, but that seems rather crude. I don't know how practical it would be, so I'd have to test the concept at a later date.

For now, I brainstorm. Is there something else I could do? Are there anyways that I can improve the bow in general? Modernize it, if you will?

I was looking around, when something caught my eye.

A round ball, made entirely of metal. It fit into the whole of my hand, and was rather heavy. Seemed to weigh roughly twenty five pounds.

"Huh..." I let out, before smiling.

I may have an interesting little idea.

Deciding that I'd buy it, I walked over to Yang. She was holding what seemed to be a rather light material in front of her, not taking any particular form.

"Silva, look at this. It's super light, and the material is resistant to piercing. It won't protect you much in the way of blunt force, but you shouldn't worry to much about a claw or something piercing it, unless something lands a direct it." She showed me the material, and I decided to buy some.

I could line the inside of my clothing with the stuff, and that should protect me from glancing blows. It's not much, but it should do.

After purchasing the items, we went back to pick up my shirt from the store. The next step was to find a tailor that could mend my clothes, which was hard considering how tough the material was.

"Alright, this isn't going well. We've been walking around for an hour, and no luck. I could try my hand at it, but there is no way I can finish by tomorrow. I fight from a distance, so armor isn't my biggest concern. I say we just settle for what we have, for now." I reason.

Honestly, it wasn't that big a deal. There was no point worrying about it too much. It was mainly a precaution against Grimm. I wasn't worried about lethal blows from fellow students.

"Alright, that should be fine. I just wear normal clothes myself, so you shouldn't worry too much. In the mean time, let's eat! I'm starving." Yang slung her arm around my shoulders, and started dragging me towards the nearest restaurant.

I was finding myself growing rather fond of the blond. It had only been a few weeks since our fight, but I've felt like I've known her for years.

Her personality was just as straight forward as her combat style. Everywhere she went, smiles were spread, and she had a way of drawing in the attention of the room.

She was born for the spotlight, and seemed to revel in it.

A perfect companion given my goal of standing at the top of the world. Only the highest of stages would be appropriate.

This tournament was just the first step, though. I understood I had a long way to go. Yang taught me that. Even among the people my age, I could be beaten.

If I wanted to accomplish my goals, I needed more practice. More experience. I needed to broaden my horizons, to better understand this world.

I've been rather narrow minded this entire time, thinking myself better than everyone, when that obviously wasn't the case. I could still lose. I could still fall.

I could still die.

But, with Yang, I worried less about that. One of the things they've been pounding into our heads since we started Signal was the value of friendship. The value of making allies.

When hunters-in-training transitioned from combat school to a hunting academy, like Beacon, we were placed on teams. Upon graduation you didn't necessarily have to stick around with those people, but you would likely do it anyways.

After all, you were more likely to survive if you had someone watching your back. Plus, after four years together, teams become more like families than anything.

So, I started to think a bit differently. I still wanted to be the best, but I'd go about it differently.

Teams are more marketable anyways.

Walking into the restaurant, Yang was quick to order. With her being native to patch, she was rather familiar with the local businesses. Keeping it simple, I went with a burger.

"Alright, so what's the plan for tomorrow? We're going to win, obviously, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Well, Yang, obviously you weren't paying much attention in class. There's nothing to do, really, the tournament is a bit of an unknown. I would guess something special is going to happen, if not even Signal was informed of the exact details."

We fall into casual conversation, which consist mainly of Yang talking for the both of us. It was an easy pace to get caught up in. She really was the kind of person you just wanted to let talk, regardless of how terrible some of her jokes could be.

There's no way it wasn't on purpose. It had to be.

* * *

I stood in front of the mirror, wearing my newly purchased clothing.

We were told to leave our uniforms behind, as today we "weren't students of Signal." Today, we were just huntsmen-in-training, as were all the other students coming in from around the world.

Apparently, the tournament was rather large. People from just about every combat school you could imagine were showing up, though the smaller ones were limited to just one pair of representatives.

Signal was fortunate to be the local combat school, as every student was allowed to attend. Everyone else was only allowed to bring the competitors.

Made sense, thinking about just how many students would come otherwise.

I was happy with the clothing. Incredibly so.

I stood, pants snug against my legs. The buckles held my quiver quite well on my right leg, and on my left hip the metal ball hung inside a pouch.

My jacket was on, hood up. The shirt underneath had my emblem plastered right in the middle. It was framed by my scarf, tightly tied around my neck.

All of this was finished off by my boots, pleasantly light. They would allow me to move quickly, easily. Just the way I liked it.

My bow, on the other hand, hung plainly on my back. It was an eye sore, really. I had to make sure my bow was collapsible when I made my own.

Anyways, back to the clothes. I liked them. I'd carry these things with me for the entirety of my hunting career.

Well, maybe not these exactly. I'd definitely grow, as I was only thirteen. When getting them tailored proved to be ineffective, I'd replace the clothes with replicas. I'd get them custom made if I had to.

I now had a look, and the last thing I wanted to do was change it. I need to stick with one thing, and let people get familiar with it. You can almost think of it as a brand.

"Silva! Let's go, the airships leave in th-" She stops, seeing me in my new clothes for the first time. "Wow."

"I'll take that as a complement." I chuckle, pulling the hood off to reveal my mess of brown hair. It was starting to get a bit too long for my liking, and the ends were beginning to curl.

"You should. It's not every day someone's able to stop me mid sentence like that." She winks, before turning around.

Today was the day. I would make myself known on a bigger stage. The tournament was televised, so should we win, I might even become a household name.

"Well, enough flattery." I flash a smile as I pass her, opening the door. "It's time to win us a tournament."

The trip to the airship was uneventful. Taiyang joined us along the way, and began praising his daughter a bit too much for my liking.

"Alright Yang, are you ready to show everyone what it means to be the best? Not everyday you get to show the world just how amazing you are."

I understand being a proud parent, but come on. Aren't you supposed to try and prevent boosting your kid's ego like that? Sure, I guess I shouldn't be talking about ego, but I'd call my situation unique.

"Will you two stop? It's seriously gross."

This wasn't the time to just joke around, enjoying yourself. We needed to focus.

"Stop being so serious all the time, Silva. Live a little!" Pulling me closer, she jumps back into the conversation.

Ugh. When did I become the serious one? I came into this place with a storm of fireworks. Maybe I should pick the people I associate with better. With these two, my whole "trouble maker" persona can't exist.

Someone has to be the responsible one, after all.

Maybe I can find a happy medium. Still have a little fun.

How would Yang like helping me set a little something up for her dad?

Soon, we arrived at the airships, and Taiyang went his own way.

"Yang, over here!" A group of girls called out, waving her over.

"Well, Silva, I'll see you later. We'll meet back up once we get there, yeah?" I waved her off, and took a seat in the corner.

It wouldn't be a long ride. By airship, it wouldn't take any longer than an hour to arrive at Beacon.

Not even a minute in, and the two annoyances were already here.

"Been spending a lot of time with Xiao Long, haven't ya?" Crim and Naiv. The wonder twins.

Teenage jealousy really is a petty thing. Sucks having the perspective I do. It would be so much easier if I was just like them, worrying about what they did. Makes these conversations unbearable.

"Yeah." I answer plainly, before pulling my hood over my head. I wouldn't sleep, but I'd act like I was. Sometimes, you just wanted to be left alone. It drained you, pretending the way I did.

I valued any time I was left to my thoughts. I could just be me. Not Silva. Not who I was before. But me. The both of them.

"We're talking, you know." Naiv yanks my hood off, glaring at me.

I valued that time, and these two were taking away from it.

"Look, if you two want to be assholes, fine. Save it for the tournament, though. Wouldn't want to waste all your good lines, would we?"

"Oh? Competing, are you? Tough luck, because we'll be taking the win." Of course I'm competing. Yang is, and I'm pretty much the only person she'd take as a partner. These guys will go through incredible lengths to try and ignore the attention she gives me.

"I'll be sure to tell Yang you have no faith in us. I'm sure she'd love to hear it." I smile.

Unsurprisingly, they seemed shocked at this. I was her partner? What? It was getting annoying, really. Like they just couldn't believe she hung around with me. We've been here for two months at this point. It's nothing new.

"Yang! You hear that? Too bad for us, but looks like these guys will be taking the tournament!" I called out, and the two boys grew red before fleeing to a different room in the airship.

Sighing, I laid back, hood once again shielding my eyes.

Everyone has been going in assuming this to be some sort of fighting tournament, but I keep thinking back onto what Taiyang said in class. They were keeping what the partners were for a secret.

So, by extension, the contents of the tournament itself were also a secret. We could be doing any number of things.

Most Grimm killed over a three day period, which was how long we'd be staying at Beacon.

It could be some sort of survival exercise, throwing us into the wild for a couple days and seeing who ended up being the best off. Gathering food, setting up camp, things like that.

It could even be multiple things.

Whatever it is, a direct competition is the obvious answer. With this being advertised as a tournament, a winner will have to be announced. That does somewhat limit the options, but not really. Dancing could be considered a contest, after all.

I just hope it has nothing to do with tests. If so, I really shot myself in the foot by tagging along with Yang.

Whatever. It's not like that'll happen. The tournament will be televised, so it'll be something interesting to watch.

More than anything, though, I worried about my own performance. I trusted Yang. She seemed to come through when it mattered.

I needed this to be something I was good at. If I turned out to be the weak link, the entire world would see it as the blond brawler carrying me through the tournament. I couldn't let that happen.

After all this time spent trying to build up my image, I'd hate for it to be ruined like that.

...

"Go back to your friends, Yang." I let out annoyingly, feeling a sudden weight crash into my lap.

"You're my friend too, you know. Come on, stop being so boring over here. Come hang out with us." The girl hasn't stopped in her attempts to get me to hang out with a group of her friends.

Every time she goes out with them, an invite is shot my way. I'd never accept though. That's just opening the doors to even more requests.

"I'd love to. I really would. But you caught me at a bad time. Super busy and stuff. My sleep isn't just going to catch up on itself, after all."

I make no move to shrug her off of me. I don't even look up from under my hood.

I don't have to. I know she is straddling me in as suggestive a way as possible. I know she's twirling her hair with a lone finger, batting her eyelashes in a way unfitting of her age.

I know she's doing it for all the wrong reasons, too. I learned rather quickly that Yang enjoys making people, specifically boys, uncomfortable in whatever way she can. Finds it funny or something.

The shyer the guy, the more enjoyable she found it. For those that attempted to reciprocate, however, she immediately lost interest.

So, my unique approach. I found ignoring her to be the best thing to do. I couldn't stop her, but I could annoy her. And, boy, did it get under her skin. Recently, she has 'upped the ante,' if you will. Gotten more bold in her actions.

She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face into the crook of my neck. "Let loose a little, will you?"

May as well throw her a little bone, I suppose. She was extra confident today, and I didn't want to see how much further this went. I would already have to deal with damage control due to this "public display of affection."

It would be on my terms, though.

I finally look up from under my hood, ignoring the fluttering of her eyes. "Tell you what. Recently, I've been getting a bit annoyed with your dad, yeah? How about we come up with a way to screw with him? Sound like fun?"

She instantly brightens up, showing me that she hadn't expected anything from me. She had likely already given up on any sort of reaction from my side, and everything she was doing was for the spectators.

"Like what?" Excitedly, she abandons her efforts and gets off of me. She begins to bounce in the seat next to me, already shifted into a completely different mood. It was rather impressive, really.

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me that. As far as I can tell, the only thing he really cares about is you, and that other daughter of his. I can't find any particular thing that might bother him, so maybe you can shed a little light on the subject. What would annoy him more than anything?"

Recently, he has really increased my work load. Every day, I've had some sort of task I needed to complete. Whether it be running into town to pick something up, or running all the way to his house just to leave a note on the door for when his other daughter got home.

I've never met her, only knowing her name to be Ruby, but I prayed for the girl. Having to put up with family like this, I imagine she could easily turn out to be quite the annoying character herself. Hopefully she lucked out.

After pondering for a moment, a wicked grin spread across Yang's face. Leaning in, she proceeded to whisper something in my ear...

Oh, hell no. No, no, no.

Gross, gross, gross.

I refuse.

"Yang! I'm not going to-" Looking around, my voice droping to a whisper. "-pretend to date you. Why would that even be a big deal?" It didn't even take a second for me to realize exactly what I said.

Why would it even be a big deal? Well, for one, Taiyang _did_ send me to stalk his daughter on my first day.

Sure, it turned out to be set up in the first place, but he then proceeded to mention that it was something he had actually done in the past.

So, basically, he was a typical over protective dad.

"Think about it! He would flip if he thought I was dating someone. And for that someone to be you? Someone who not only lives in his office, which I visit regularly, but also is going to be sharing a room with me as my partner? I think he may just have a heart attack."

Well, sure, I guess that makes sense. But still. I don't think I feel comfortable pretending to date someone so much younger than me.

 _'Not younger.'_ I seemed to remember, still finding it difficult to acknowledge that I'm physically a kid.

...wait, what? I seemed to have just brushed over something rather important.

"Sharing a room?" I questioned.

I definitely didn't remember that part.

"Yeah, the people competing will be sharing a room with their partners. We'll be housed in a separate wing from the visitors. Don't you remember? It was on the sign up sheet."

No. I don't remember. Because you signed up for me.

Well, shit.

I guess that clears up a few things. No camping out, first of all. Unless the rooms are simply meant to store our things for a single night. But, I doubt that.

I mean, I don't know what I expected the sleeping arrangements to be. I wasn't expecting anything, really. Just not something I thought about.

"So, what do you think? We can tell him we were pretending after the tournament. I just think him worrying about us sleeping in the same room will be hilarious."

...Well, why not? So long as I didn't have to kiss her or anything, it should be fine. We can let the rest of the students know after telling Taiyang about it. I'm sure they'd be quick to believe us, with the track record Yang has with making trouble.

"Fine. But don't expect me to do anything special."

"Oh, come o... Wait. You agreed? You agreed! We've had a breakthrough! You're not boring!" Yang briefly started clapping, before going dead silent.

She seemed to be considering something, before an evil glint flashed in her eyes.

"Yes! Of course I'll go out with you!" She shouted out, before tackling me to the ground.

So, going right for it, then. I could already tell this was a huge mistake.

I didn't even have the benefit of having Taiyang around to see his face. No instant payoff.

The declaration got an immediate response from everyone else, though. Within the minute, I had little doubt the entire school would know.

"Alright. Enough of that." Getting up, I dusted myself off.

I could see scrolls out all around me, ready to start taking pictures. She really made quite the event out of it. Couldn't be bothered with simply dropping it into a conversation with her friends, I suppose.

"Don't get shy now. We may have just become official, but you know more than anyone some of the stuff we've already done." She winked.

...

What is she doing?

"Yang Xiao Long! What do you think you are doing?!" Before I could even react, a hand clamped down onto my shoulder. I tried to wriggle out, but to no effect. I was trapped.

"Dad! You just missed it! Silva finally asked me out. It took a while, but he finally saw just how awesome I am."

Oh.

Looking over my shoulder, I came eye to eye with Taiyang.

He did _not_ look happy.

Seems my guess of the news taking a minute to spread was a bit too conservative.

Yang _was_ loud, after all. Entirely possible Taiyang just so happened to be nearby.

Also possible that he was purposefully nearby. Still don't know if he completely gave up on the whole 'following his daughter' thing.

"Oh? Did he now?"

I think my shoulder is breaking.

"Yes, he did. Now, if you'd excuse us, my _boyfriend_ and I need to discuss our sleeping arrangements. You know, for when we get to our shared room."

Oh, god. What kind of monster did I just let unleash? Was I going to die?

"Hhhmm!" I grunted out, feeling a snap in my shoulder.

"Better let you _kids_ get to it, then."

Well, whatever the case, looks like it worked. At the very least, I'd get some enjoyment out of Taiyang's frustration.

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness. The bathroom has a lock."

We were currently dropping our things off in our room. It was small, obviously used for guests and not students, and had two beds.

"Oh, come on. Do you not trust me?" Yang asked, acting offended.

Did she even need to ask?

"Of course I don't. Now, come on. We have an assembly to get to. They'll be explaining exactly what this tournament is."

There were too many unknowns for my liking, and the sooner that was remedied, the better.

We left the room and made way for the auditorium, where everyone was supposed to convene. I could already see students around that I was unfamiliar with, assumed to be foreigners.

Most everyone we would encounter will undoubtedly have a lot of confidence, seeing as every other school could only send a limited number of representatives. Some of the smaller schools even being limited to a single pair.

Beacon itself was quite the sight. Very reminiscent of castles from back on Earth. The architecture was simply incredible, it was almost like a physical representation of Vale's pride.

Ever since the little incident on the airship, we've been getting looks from our fellow Signal students. The looks varied, but there were two rather consistent takes on our 'relationship.'

Shock, and envy.

It made me feel a little better that a fair amount of the envy came from other girls, wishing to switch places with Yang.

That was kind of off set by the fact that I had to put up with this entire situation to begin with, though. I just had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't the one being punished, but it was Taiyang.

And those two pricks from earlier, I suppose. Crim and Naiv were oh-so-pleasantly upset by the entire situation. It was for the best, though. I guess Yang literally never sparing them a glance didn't exactly take.

It wasn't log before we reached the auditorium, with what looked to be well over a thousand seats facing the stage.

"Silvy! Let's sit over there!" Yang started to drag me before I could even register that stupid nickname that I've never heard her call me before.

"What are you doing?" I attempted to break free, to no avail, before I noticed Taiyang sitting in the front row, staring at us.

Man, she's pretty good at this.

"We're going to go sit next to Dad, of course." She replied with her ever present smile.

It was rather evil, really. Sitting next to him was definitely the best way to piss the guy off.

It was a little off putting to be perfectly honest. This was supposed to be me getting back at the guy for what he's made me put up with, but rather quickly it has turned into Yang's little project.

At this point, I didn't have to do anything. I simply let Yang take the wheel, her knowing the best ways to get under his skin.

It made sense, though. She definitely seems like the one to be making the decisions in a relationship, and I've always been one to just go with the flow, even in my past life. It's just easier that way.

"Yang. _Silva._ Nice to see you two getting along so well." Came the father's attempt at a genuine response.

Yeah. He really was just a typical dad, wasn't he? It was hard to find someone comfortable with his daughter dating, but you'd rarely get 'violent' ones. No, he feigned support, and that's all you could really ask for.

"We have you to thank for that! Oh, I just wonder how we would have gotten along if you hadn't made Silva your assistant..." Was Yang's response.

I could barely keep my laugh in at that one. Putting the blame on him. I could only imagine what he was thinking.

Just as he was about to respond, I zoned out of the conversation.

In the corner of the room, I noticed a gray haired man enter alongside what looked to be the most physically attractive woman I've seen since coming to this world. And she was tall.

God, being thirteen _sucks._

I shifted my focus back to the man, though. It was only a year ago, so the memory was rather fresh. That was the guy who came to see me in that jail cell, after my little "outing," as he so delicately put it.

Huh.

Noticing my staring, Taiyang seemed to forget his anger. "That right there is Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. You'd do well to remain on his good side."

He was obviously referencing my first encounter with Signal's headmaster.

Not sure what was really worse, though. After all, the first time I met this guy was while I was sitting behind bars.

"The woman?" I asked, still interested. I may not have a chance with her given my age, but damn if I still didn't want to know her name.

"Glynda Goodwitch. A real scary one, she is. I'd say the same about her good side, but I find it rather difficult to keep from angering her." He replied simply.

I could only imagine why.

The next few minutes were filled with students filling in, before it looked like everyone had arrived. It was time to figure out exactly what we'd be doing.

"Greeting, everyone. My name is Ozpin, and I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy." His voice rang out, aided by the the speakers.

"You have all gathered here for the tournament that my school will be hosting. We've kept any specific details about the competition secret up until now, but worry not. We'll explain everything briefly."

The man seemed rather unenthusiastic given just how large an audience he had.

"Before that, though, allow me to welcome you all. Each and every one of you have taken the first step in a journey that will last for the rest of your lives. Being a huntsman isn't just a career that you can retire from whenever you'd like. It is a title that you will carry to the grave."

At this, I smiled. It was true. Hunters could retire and settle down, just like anyone else, but it was different. They would always be hunters. In times of emergency, they would be the first to be called upon, and at the same time were the last line of defense against the ever growing hordes of Grimm.

"For these next few days, we want to convey the fact that you can't be prepared for everything. At a moments notice, you could be attacked, and be at a severe disadvantage. The tournament is based around this."

Well, I didn't like the sound of that.

"As you might have already suspected, this will be a combat tournament. You will fight each other, alongside your partner, in a bracket. However, each round will be vastly different from the last."

Okay, fighting. Yang and I should be confident. Depends on what he says next.

"How will they be different? Well, basically, each individual match will have a random set of rules. For example, the first match would be fought entirely unarmed. The second, with one of the partners blindfolded. These are mere over simplifications of what the rules will actually be, but that will be the basic premise." He concluded, stepping away from the mic.

Well, that's pretty interesting. He said it was simplified, so I wonder what the actual 'modifiers,' if you will, would be?

"The remainder of the day will be spent however you wish. The training rooms will be open, and the cafeteria will serve food until nine tonight. I suggest you finish any last minute preparation you might need quickly. With that, you are dismissed." Came Glynda, briefly stepping up to the mic.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Yang asked, genuinely interested in this tournament. It was nice to get passed the show she put on every once in a while.

"Yeah. It is."

The tournament would begin tomorrow morning. It would wrap up completely in three days, and there were roughly one hundred pairs of actual competitors here. The majority of the crowd was made up of Signal's general student populace. Everyone came, wishing to see the tournament themselves.

Until then, though, I would rest. Yang would definitely try to rope me into training, but I would refuse. What we needed was to be at one hundred percent in the morning.

"Time to show the world just how great we can be."

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Well, that was a long one. Just a nice little set up for a tournament arc. As you can see, the world of Remnant is already a little different. A tournament like this, specifically for beginners, isn't likely to exist. Well, not on this scale, at least. However, I think it would be rather boring if I didn't have any original events of my own. One of the biggest flaws I notice in these OC stories is the main character simply following canon.

If nothing changes because of your character, don't you think that makes him out to be rather insignificant?

That being said, you can expect a large amount of original content. I plan on 'following' canon, in the sense that Cinder and all that stuff exists. How will I go about it? Not even I'm sure, to be perfectly honest. In an attempt to write as organic a story as possible, a lot of what I write is on the fly. I have a few points that I predetermine that need to be hit, but in between those it just happens. I sit down, and write. Don't like it? Delete, and retry. I feel this to be the best method, given how I think.

Does that take away from the magic? Don't worry, I _do_ have something I'm aiming for. The journey is just a little less... concrete.

As for the whole Yang thing, I thought it might be fun to write. Taiyang just seemed so fun to mess with. With how I made his character out to be, something like this would really throw him for a loop. Not used to being on the recieving side of things.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Thanks for the reviews! Keep it up! Nice to know I'm doing well. Even nicer to know I'm doing poorly.

Until next time!

~YeOldDoorHinge


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